Ultimate SpiderWoman: Change With the Light
by JaredMilne1982
Summary: As Mary Jane Watson, Empire State University Drama major, finds herself developing strange superhuman powers, she is faced with her own inner demons. As she copes with the stresses and difficulties of her home life, a strange idea comes into her mind...
1. Web of Fate

It was the same tingling pain she had been feeling every day for the last two weeks when she first woke up in the morning, a sensation that began like clockwork when she first woke up and then went away after a few minutes, only to return the next morning. Tossing her duvet aside, and shaking her long, waist-length hair as she got out of bed, Mary Jane Watson was briefly struck by the sight of her mane being a long, jet-black color.

Long, sure…but _black? _

Shaking her head, Mary Jane stepped up to the mirror, finding to her relief that her hair was the same fire-red color it had always been. Deciding that she must have just been imagining things, Mary Jane proceeded to get washed and dressed for the day's classes.

Looking at the young woman and her surroundings, it was not difficult to see why she was so popular among many of the guys at Empire State University: a gorgeous nineteen year-old redhead with a model's figure, living in a comfortably furnished apartment in one of New York's better neighborhoods, Mary Jane was the daughter and only child of Phillip Watson, one of New York's sharpest lawyers and investors, close friend of Norman Osborn, one of the city's most famous industrialists and business tycoons. Her attire, even on this cold morning in early December 2006, was impeccably tasteful and well-fitting.

As she took the elevator to the ground floor on her way to school, Mary Jane twitched as she felt the same uncomfortable tingling begin again, just for a moment. An annoyed scowl crossed her face before she forced herself to remain calm. Fortunately, the feeling soon passed and she banished all the thoughts from her mind, keeping herself focused on her lines for her upcoming solo performance.

That was one thing Mary Jane had always found fascinating-the actor's ability to change roles and costumes, masks and personae, to keep some things hidden while bringing others into the open.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #1

"WEB OF FATE"

* * *

"Hey, sweetie!" Mary Jane heard a voice behind her as she turned into the main campus quad. Turning around, she greeted her friend Liz Allan with a thin smile as the latter came running up. The twenty-year old Nursing student gave Mary Jane a hug, embracing her briefly before joining her on her walk to class.

"You have fun last night, Liz?" Mary Jane asked.

"Oh, you know Harry," Liz rolled her eyes. "Dinner at a high-end restaurant, movie screening at his dad's private theater, clubbing until midnight. It's like clockwork with that guy-just like his dad. Too bad you couldn't make it-Harry was asking about you. Why are you so crazy for those martial arts classes, anyway?"

"It's like I keep telling you, Liz," Mary Jane answered sharply. "You know how many of those criminal lunatics the police and the superheroes catch on any given week? And those are the ones they don't miss! You can't always expect those guys to be able to-"

"Okay, okay!" Liz said, surprised at Mary Jane's tone of voice. "Well, today's Friday. You up for going out tonight? Harry'll be there, Flash, Hobie, Kitty, Kenny, maybe Peter and Gwen…"

"What time?" Mary Jane asked. "I'll be at the dojo working out until about half after six or so, but I'm good for afterward, if you like. Where were you thinking of going?"

"I was going to get some dinner around seven, then maybe I can come by?" Liz asked.

"Sounds good," Mary Jane nodded.

* * *

"Are you _kidding?_" Mary Jane had the distinct displeasure of hearing as she walked into Drama class later that day. "I can't believe you're wearing white-I mean, it's winter!"

_Felicia Hardy, _Mary Jane groaned inwardly as she stepped into class. _Probably picking on-_

"What does it matter to you, anyway?" another girl's voice cut in, this one with a French accent. Two girls stood facing one another, one tall and slim with platinum blonde hair, and the other rather shorter, dressed in an odd combination of dark blue and white and wearing a large orchid in her hair. Felicia Hardy and Marie-Ange Colbert had known-and hated-each other ever since their days at Midtown High.

"You never get tired of that, do you?" Mary Jane asked, a harsh tone in her voice as she addressed Felicia.

"Of what, telling the truth?" Felicia said airily.

"No, of being a total…" Mary Jane caught herself. "Forget it, you're just not worth it," she muttered. "Are you alright?" she continued, turning to Marie-Ange.

"Stay out of this, Watson," Marie-Ange stormed. "Like I need any pity from you."

"Well, excuse me for trying to help, you stupid-" Mary Jane stormed back, before walking away with a scowl as their professor came in.

Mary Jane didn't know which infuriated her more-Felicia's attitude, or the tone Marie-Ange adopted when she retorted to Felicia's insults.

* * *

A one-two punch was followed with a devastating spin kick as Mary Jane repeatedly struck the punching bag, falling into a steady rhythm. So focused was she on her attacks that she barely heard the compliments of her teacher on the speed and precision of her routine, or the sensation of the bag shivering and the chain beginning to vibrate and rattle. Finally, fully into the routine, Mary Jane leapt into the air and spun, delivering a hard flying roundhouse kick that smashed square into the center of the bag.

Making a three-point landing on her feet, Mary Jane was as stunned as anyone else to see the chain snap in two as the bag flew through the air like a missile, slamming into the far wall of the dojo with a loud crashing sound. Staring at the broken bag and the large dent in the wall, Mary Jane was suddenly aware at everyone else in the gym staring at her…especially the owner, who was walking up to her with a look of disbelief on his face.

"MJ…I…how did you do that?" Mr. Tajiri asked, a look of amazement on his face.

"Look, I…how should I know? I guess I just hit the bag too hard! Come on, it's not like I meant to do it!" she answered, half-shaken and half-angry.

"Well…I guess the bags and chains are getting a bit old," Mr. Tajiri answered slowly. "But there's a reason I haven't replaced them! I can't afford to have the wall…I mean…with the costs of repairs these days…"

"Look, just send me the bill, okay? I'll pay for it and send it to my dad later," Mary Jane said quickly.

"Alright then," Mr. Tajiri smiled. "You're one of my best students, after all. Your dad must really be proud of how far you've come."

"Somehow, I think he has more important things to worry about," Mary Jane said witheringly.

Then, briefly, she cheered up on considering how her father would react on receiving the bill.

* * *

Like Gwen Stacy and Alyssa Conover, Mary Jane Watson was considered to be one of the most talented dancers at Empire State University. Unlike those other two women, however, Mary Jane was well-known on the New York club scene, and could be found dancing the night away until well after midnight. With her eyes closed and mouth firmly set, she was poetry in motion that set the dance floor on fire even more than she did the hearts of the male clubgoers.

Tonight, however, she had turned the dance floor into an inferno, moving with a grace and speed that almost no one could keep up with. Dancing first with one guy, then another, Mary Jane was impossible to keep up with, her moves belying a stamina and agility beyond anyone else in the club that night.

_Damn, _Kenny Anderson thought as he tried vainly to keep pace. _Not even Alyssa can move that fast…just how does she do it? _

In truth, Mary Jane was asking herself that same question. She **knew **no human should be able to move as fast as she was, much less be as flexible and agile But at the same time, it just felt **right **to be able to move like this, and she instinctively knew that she could do even better than that. Even more strangely, she didn't feel the least bit tired.

"You've got the moves tonight," Kenny complimented her later as she went to get a drink of water. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"I don't drink," Mary Jane said calmly, not even looking at him.

"How about dinner and a movie, then? You pick the places, I'll pay the prices," he smiled winningly.

"I don't think so," Mary Jane, her eyes finally turning to look at him.

"Maybe my number, if you change your mind?" Kenny offered.

"For the last time, no!" Mary Jane shouted, finally turning to Kenny. "God, how many times do I have to say it to get it through that half-baked skull of yours? Or do you not even have any brain cells left?"

_…Man, talk about your ice queens, _Kenny thought as he watched Mary Jane finish her water and return to the rest of the group. _Now I know why so many people call her stuck-up. _

* * *

Late that night, Mary Jane woke up from sleep, groggily turning over to look at the clock. 2:45 AM, and she had to go to the bathroom. Not exactly the best time to be doing it, given how loud the floorboards could be in her apartment, and how thin the walls were...and, of course, the unpleasant tingling sensation was back.

Muttering to herself, Mary Jane threw back the covers and, as if by instinct, spread out her fingers and connected them to the wall, before hopping out of bed and lightly tapping her bare feet as well. Firmly anchored to the wall, she proceeded to crawl up to the ceiling and across it, before coming down again in front of the bathroom. Flicking on the light, Mary Jane brushed a lock of her raven-black hair that was dangling in front of her eyes, before completing her business and turning the light off, leaping back onto the wall, crawling across the ceiling and back to bed, falling asleep without a second thought.

_

* * *

_

I've got to stop staying up so late,

Mary Jane thought to herself as she stretched. _First this damn tingling, and now I'm dreaming about my hair turning black and being able to walk on the ceiling…_

She was planning to stay home today and catch up on some Biology homework, due for a presentation on Monday. Flicking on the radio, she was just in time to catch one of those debate and talk shows that her friend Julia seemed to like so much. Mary Jane was about to come over and change the station when a familiar voice suddenly came through loud and clear…

"_You forget, Mr. Jameson," _Phillip Watson began, _"that the situation with these mutants is not analogous to the discrimination perpetrated against our African-American citizens in the 1960s and beforehand. Their abilities are by themselves very dangerous, and they have shown an increasing propensity to use their so-called 'powers' in acts of terrorism and crime. Surely you, Mr. Jameson, with your stand against the reckless actions of unaccountable masked superheroes-a view, I might add, that we share-can understand this point of view?"_

J. Jonah Jameson's angry tirade was lost as an enraged glare suddenly crossed Mary Jane's face and she made an obscene gesture at the radio. She felt her hand tingle before she saw a brief flash of light, and her radio was suddenly blown to pieces.

Stunned by her radio's spontaneous combustion, Mary Jane moved over to inspect the thing, and was shocked to see that the thing was still sparking, and that some parts of it had, well…melted.

_I just bought this thing, _she thought to herself in annoyance as she cleaned up the mess. _How could it just blow up like that?_

She then vaguely recalled the flash of light and her own hand tingling.

_One of the parts must have gotten me, _she realized.

It was only some hours later that Mary Jane realized that she had forgotten a book she needed in her bag. Turning away from her desk, Mary Jane raised her hand to push herself out of her chair when, almost as if by reflex, a long, thin filament was suddenly released from her wrist. The threadlike substance shot out and clung to her schoolbag, before her arm reflexively pulled back and she instinctively caught the bag flying at her.

Sitting down in a daze, Mary Jane intently studied the silken thread that was still protruding from her wrist. It was soft as silk, but incredibly strong and sticky-she couldn't get it off her schoolbag-although for some reason it didn't stick to her fingers. Examining her wrist, to her horror she saw a small cavity-like hole in her wrist, just below the base of her palm. Looking at her other hand, she saw another small opening just underneath the bottom of her other palm.

Scarcely believing what she was doing, Mary Jane held out her arms, palms out, and flicked her wrists.

Nothing.

Mary Jane repeated her action, this time mentally commanding a line of…well, whatever it was to come out.

Right on cue, twin lines of that same fine, sticky thread issued from her wrists, and detached when Mary Jane willed it. Looking at her wrists, she saw that the holes had receded, being reduced to just barely-visible scars.

Remembering the strange things that had been happening to her over the last few days, Mary Jane began trying a few other tests. She found herself able to lift her bed in one hand and her desk in another, both at the same time, and discovered that using her hands and feet to crawl on walls and the ceiling came just as naturally as walking on her own two feet. Her agility and coordination made walking on her hands to be childishly simple, as if she'd done it all her life. With a thought, she found herself able to alter the shade and hue of her hair, from raven black through to fire red to strawberry blonde. Her webbing (what else could she call it?) dissolved after about half an hour, but until then she found it incredibly strong and flexible, and along with her webbing she found herself able to generate little bolts of electricity at will, almost like a spider's sting.

A mutant.

Mary Jane Watson, offspring of Phillip Watson, of all people, was a mutant.

Her head whirled with a million thoughts, most prominently the one that made her wonder what her parents would think when they heard the news.

All of a sudden, she got the strangest idea...

* * *

"How did all this happen, anyway?" Carrie Gill was asking her brother Donnie as he tried the suit on, ignoring the fact that Donnie's skin and hair had become white as snow, and his eyes a cold ice blue. The short well-muscled man had a winning, ivory-white smile as he looked at himself in the mirror.

"I just got out of the joint a few months ago," Donnie replied. "It was what…my fourth time? Anyway, while I was in there I had a long talk with Uncle Edgar, Cousin Fred, and the rest of the family. Grandpa Mikey told me I had to think big if I wanted the big score. That's the reason we keep getting our asses hauled off to the slammer-we never thought big enough."

"So…" Carrie began.

"So I got in touch with some of my buddies, got into meth-dealing. Made a pretty good score, too…but then we broke into that Oscorp warehouse to get some chemicals, and we ran into some of our…'competitors'. Got into a gunfight, I was sprayed with some waste chemicals Osborn had set aside to be disposed of, then I got exposed to a bunch of this gas marked 'Freon', and some sort of new experimental liquid nitrogen, and there you go."

"So now you want to get into the supervillain business?" Carrie asked, as she handled Donnie the mask.

"Hell yeah!" Donnie grinned as he put it on. "I'm the coolest supervillain in town, now! What would you do if you found out you could make ice with your butt? Mom's gonna be so proud of me!"

"She'll be paroled in a few weeks," Carrie noted. "I'm just glad she didn't finger me for the costumes I made for her and Auntie Rae when they did that grocery store job. So, what do you think of your suit?"

"I love it," Donnie grinned, checking himself out in the mirror. "I think I'll call myself…Blizzard."

With that, Donnie concentrated, conjuring a vicious spiked icicle, before striking a pose for the mirror.

_

* * *

_

I know this is crazy,

Mary Jane thought as she swung through the city with an almost practiced ease, _but it just feels right…_

She was clad in a costume of crimson red, with golden boots, gloves and midriff, and a mask that covered most of her face but left her mouth open, while allowing her hair to flow freely. Mary Jane had made her hair turn black, to heighten her disguise. Easy to make with her sewing skills, gained through years of work in the theater, the costume was form-fitting, comfortable and easy on her skin. Small slits had been cut into the wrists to allow her webbing to be released, and to her own amazement Mary Jane found that willing her webbing to be released, and then swinging from one webline to the next, came to her as easily as did simply walking on the ground.

Mary Jane was snapped out of her reverie by the screams and shouts down below. Leaping off her webline and jumping down to the ground, Mary Jane saw a gang of punks, one wielding a chain, another a switchblade and the third a baseball bat, swarming around a car and the thin man trying to get into it.

"Let him go!" she shouted as she came down in front of them. Turning around, the three carjackers whistled and leered.

"Hot damn!" one of them grinned.

"Who are you supposed to be, sweet thing?" another asked.

"Who cares, let's just take her down and have some…fun," the last thug grinned.

Mary Jane's eyes flared in a rage, and she sprang into the air as the three men charged her. Flipping overhead, she concentrated and released another electric "sting" that struck the central punk in the head, shocking him and knocking him senseless. As the man with the switchblade charged, she spun a webline and snagged him by the hand, yanking him towards her so he collided with her outstretched fist.

"Foreplay's over, bitch!" the last man yelled, swinging his bat at Mary Jane, whose eyes flared again. Her face a mask of fury, she quickly and easily dodged all his blows, before dealing him a hard right hook to the jaw that broke several of his yellowed teeth and left him lying unconscious on the ground. Throwing him into a pile with his buddies and tying them up with her webs, Mary Jane turned to look at the quivering man, who had stood watching the fight.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, the light fading from her eyes.

"Yes…I, I…thank you," the man said somewhat awkwardly, adjusting his glasses. "May I ask…who-who are you? Spider-Woman? I know th-that there's a Spider-Man already, so I assumed-"

_Spider-Woman, I like the sound of that, _Mary Jane thought, as she nodded to the man.

"Spider-Woman it is," she nodded solemnly. "Would you mind calling the police for me? I have places to be," she said, before climbing the walls and swinging away after the man nodded.

* * *

Spider-Woman did her best to ignore the cheers and wolf whistles from the bystanders as she webbed up the five men who had broken into the electronics store. Some of them were taping her with their camera phones, and she realized that she'd probably be all over YouTube by tomorrow morning.

_He'll have a coronary when he sees it, _she thought with a smile as she took to the air again.

An uneventful hour of webswinging later, the screams and crashes two blocks over caught her attention. Swinging down, she was amazed by what she saw. The entire street was covered in ice, marked with patches of icicles, with several cars buried under a sheet of ice and snow, except for an armored car that lay on its side, a massive hole blown in its side by what appeared to be a battering ram of ice, now shattered into several large blocks of ice. Poking around in the armored car was a short, muscled man in an ice-blue body suit with white highlights of icicles on his gloves, belt and boots, and large stylized snowflakes on his upper arms. As he emerged with another sack of money, to throw onto the pile he had already accumulated, he caught sight of Spider-Woman as she advanced on him, her spider-grip allowing her to keep her balance on the ice.

"Whoa, hello!" the man grinned. "I figured I'd be battling a costumed hero, but a skirt? Or are you trying to take my score?"

"Put the money back," Spider-Woman warned him.

"Aw, come on, baby," the man continued. "I'm usually so cold-that's why I call myself Blizzard, FYI-that I'd love for a hottie like you to warm me up. Wanna light my fire?"

Her face marked with an intense stare, Spider-Woman's response was to quickly hold out her hands and fire a double sting-blast at Blizzard. Startled, the villain could only erect a wall of ice to shield himself before it was blown to pieces, knocking him off balance. Tossing the sack of money aside, he rolled out of the way of the swinging kick Spider-Woman attacked him wit, before holding out his own hands and releasing a blizzard of hailstones that began pounding Spider-Woman, knocking her off her webline and sending her crashing to the icy ground. As she struggled to regain her footing, Blizzard formed a solid battering ram of ice, striking her hard in the chest and sending her flying to crash hard into a car.

Leaping to her feet, Spider-Woman stuck the car with her webbing, tearing it off the ground and swinging it down at Blizzard, who again conjured a wall of ice to protect himself. The car and the ice smashed into each other with a loud crunching sound, sending debris flying everywhere as bystanders screamed and dodged to get out of the way, some shouting at Spider-Woman, who ignored them as she dodged the sharp icicles that Blizzard flung at her. As she landed, she was suddenly blinded by the blizzard of snow that her opponent whipped up, and was struck by several flying icicles and blocks of ice that pounded into her leaving her prone and beaten on the ground

Gritting her teeth against the pain and the cold, Spider-Woman struggled to her feet, catching Blizzard's next assault with her webbing spinning the ice blocks around like a flail and slamming them into Blizzard, staggering him and leaving him vulnerable to a sting blast, knocking him flat on his back, stunned. As he got to his feet with a groan, he saw Spider-Woman swinging another large block of ice at him, which he quickly shattered with another battering ram, sending ice shards flying everywhere.

Briefly blinded by the storm of icicles, Blizzard saw that Spider-Woman had disappeared. Whirling around, he caught a sting blast full in the chest, knocking him off balance before he was caught in the chest with a web that pulled him towards his enemy, colliding with her fist. Doubled over in pain, he was knocked unconscious by another low-intensity sting blast, and was webbed up by Spider-Woman as she heard the police sirens coming up.

Around her, some people were applauding, others were hooting and hollering, and some others were shouting at her for nearly hitting them with flying debris and machine parts. All their calls fell on deaf ears as she spun a web and sprung off into the setting sun, the throbbing of her wounds already beginning to subside as she swung away. Her jaw set firmly, she set off for home, knowing she had to get to sleep early enough for her meeting with her mother, Aunt Anna, and her cousin Kristy.

The thought of it was even more painful than anything Blizzard could have done to her.

_(__**Next Issue: **_Mary Jane Watson is consumed with memories of the past as she commiserates with her family, while her father Phillip Watson is conspicuously absent from the meeting. Meanwhile, Spider-Woman finds herself confronted with the mysterious criminal known as the Will O'the Wisp! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #2: Change With the Light!) _


	2. Change With the Light

_**Smile on my face  
Like doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde  
I'm changing  
I change with the light  
Hiding away running from reality  
Who am I  
Am I an actor in this game?  
**_**-Ace of Base, "Change With the Light"**

"You're never going to believe it, MJ!" Liz enthused as she and Mary Jane Watson met after their American History class that morning. "Take a look…"

Mary Jane raised an eyebrow at the copy of the _Daily Globe, _the _Daily Bugle_'s main competition apart from the _Times, _that Liz handed her. The article was marked with the tagline _Watch out, Spidey: There's a new webslinger in town!_, and pictures of Spider-Woman in battle with the criminal Blizzard, culminating in the webbed-up criminal being arrested by the police. Glancing over the article, Mary Jane noted how it described the intensity with which Spider-Woman fought, and the damage she and Blizzard had nearly caused in their fight, with the debris flying everywhere.

"Cool, huh?" Liz asked Mary Jane as she took the paper back.

"The photographers definitely got her good side," Mary Jane answered, a grin on her face.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #2

"CHANGE WITH THE LIGHT"

* * *

"You're in a good mood this morning," Liz noted.

"Hmm?" Mary Jane started. "Oh, I was just thinking about something funny I saw on TV a while back…it's nothing."

"**Now **I know we're in the Twilight Zone," Liz laughed. "Since when would Mary Jane Watson smile at something funny, much less laugh about it?"

Instantly, Mary Jane shifted uncomfortably.

"Look, it's nothing, alright?"

"Good thing Harry didn't see that smile," Liz grinned, "or else he'd be going after you in a heartbeat!"

"**What?!?**" Mary Jane balked. "He'd better not be cheating on you. That two-timing son of a-"

"Whoa, whoa, MJ!" Liz said hastily, raising her hands to calm her friend down. "I was just kidding!"

"…Sorry," MJ muttered. "I didn't mean to go off like that."

"Are you okay?" Liz asked, a note of concern in her voice. "You seem kind of stressed lately."

"It's nothing," Mary Jane said calmly. "Can we just drop it?"

"Sure…sure," Liz said reassuringly.

"Being a drama queen again, Watson?" Felicia Hardy's piercing, cat-like voice rang out mockingly across the hallway as its owner strolled down the hallway towards Mary Jane and Liz.

"Get lost, Felicia," Liz spat in disgust. "Lost without your hangers-on?"

"At least I respond when they ask me out," Felicia smirked. "Jealous, Watson?"

"Of the girl who dated Harvey Broxtel back at Midtown?" Mary Jane's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, like I could ever be jealous of her."

For a moment, Felicia's eyes flared, before they calmed again.

"Harvey had some serious problems," Felicia noted dryly, "but at least I actually dated some of the guys when they asked me out. I heard about the way you blew Kenny off Saturday night at the club. Still too good for the rest of us?"

"Oh, and what would **you** know about it?" Mary Jane demanded heatedly, her voice rising. "At least I have standards…it's not like I was the one pawing Flash Thompson when-"

Fortunately, Liz was finally able to get between them and drag Mary Jane away.

"Don't let her get to you," Liz tried to reassure Mary Jane. "She's just a-"

"I know what she is," Mary Jane muttered. "Look, I've got to get to my next class. I'll see you later."

"What are you doing after class is done?" Liz stopped Mary Jane before she could leave.

"It's Monday," Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "I always visit my mom and Aunt Anna on Mondays."

"Can I come?" Liz offered. "I'd love to see them again…"

"How many times have we been over this?" Mary Jane sighed, turning her back on Liz and heading towards the Drama building.

All Liz could do was stare back at Mary Jane in concern.

* * *

"Hiya, MJ!" Kristy Watson said brightly, embracing her cousin in a tight hug as she came in the door of Anna Watson's Forest Hills home. The sixteen-year old's bright and cheery mood always reflected off Mary Jane whenever she came for a visit. Rather resembling a younger version of Mary Jane herself, her bouncy and energetic demeanor raised even Mary Jane's spirits.

"How's it going?" Mary Jane smiled gently.

"I'm getting straight As," Kristy returned Mary Jane's grin with one of her own. "Mom and Aunt Maddie are so proud!"

"So am I," Mary Jane chuckled as the two girls came into the living room, where they were greeted by their mothers. Anna Watson was as cheerful as ever, seeming to radiate kindness that warmed Mary Jane's heart. Mary Jane noted that Aunt Anna gave little care to her advancing years, being more concerned with Kristy, who she had adopted after her niece's parents' deaths in a plane crash more than twelve years ago, with Mary Jane, and of course with her sister-in-law Maddie. Maddie Watson, as pale and subdued as always, greeted her daughter with a small smile as she poured Mary Jane a cup of tea.

"How's school, dear?" Aunt Anna began.

"It's alright," Mary Jane said, sipping at her tea. "Biology's rough, but Doctor Connors is really helpful. He's always ready to help, if you need it. Better than that creep Dr. Warren, I can tell you that. American History is good, but I'm stressing about this one Dance assignment. It's got to be a contemporary piece…I wish it was tap instead," she muttered.

"Any luck finding some outside acting work?" Kristy asked.

"Not much," Mary Jane frowned, before she chuckled. "Believe me, Kristy, I'm wondering whether I should change my major-it's so damn competitive out there, and the backstage politics are just disgusting," she sighed, stirring at her tea. "I did that modeling gig last month, the one that was interrupted by that weird electrical monster that Spider-Man defeated, but I haven't had much time to look for more work, what with dance classes, martial arts, and schoolwork. But how's school going for you?"

"Just great!" Kristy enthused. "I finally worked up the nerve, and asked Matt out. We're going to the Christmas Formal together!" she tittered.

"You should wear your red dress with that one…or the green!" Mary Jane advised her, as Kristy began laughing. "Keep the Christmas theme!"

"The green dress matches my hair better!" Kristy smiled.

"Liz and I should come as chaperones," Mary Jane offered. "I'm sure she'd love to see you again…"

"I want to see **Harry** again," Kristy laughed in mock romantic tones.

The two girls giggled for several minutes.

"How is it around here?" Mary Jane asked, noting with concern how Maddie Watson just sat on the couch next to her sister-in-law.

"Oh, they're good," Aunt Anna reassured her. "Nothing much out of the ordinary…"

They sat in silence for some minutes.

"So, did you talk to Ms. Page, or what?" Kristy finally ventured in an almost hesitant fashion.

"I…" Maddie looked at Anna, who frowned.

"…we're meeting with her next week," Anna finished.

"You're waiting **another **week?" Kristy said in frustration. "How long are you going to let this sit?"

"You know how much Uncle Phillip can delay things," Anna said slowly. "Ms. Page warned us over the phone that he's an expert in this sort of thing."

Maddie just swallowed hard.

"First you don't call the police on him when he kicks you both out of the house, and now you won't divorce the bastard? You deserve every last cent that son of a-"

"It's not that simple, Kristy-" Anna began.

"What_'_s not simple?" Kristy demanded, fire in her eyes. "The flings? The stench of booze on his breath? The fact that he…" She suddenly stopped as her Aunt Maddie grew a shade paler.

"Sorry," she apologized. "But you can't go on like this, I mean…"

"We know, Kristy," Mary Jane stepped in. "But you don't realize how complicated these things can get."

"So now **you're **supporting this?" Kristy asked incredulously.

"He'll point out that he's paying for my education," Mary Jane pointed out.

"Big whoop!" Kristy stormed. "He just did that to get rid of you! Why the hell would he send you to a public college like ESU when he could afford anywhere you wanted to go?"

"Kristy!" Maddie finally spoke up, frustration spilling over and flooding her voice.

"We're doing everything we can," Anna tried to reassure Kristy. "It's just that..."

"That what?" Kristy wondered.

"…Phillip has always had a knack for winning friends and influencing people," Anna said grimly.

* * *

Lawyer, investor, pillar of the community, all-around realizer of the American Dream…many were the titles bestowed on Phillip Watson by those around him. Tall and well-muscled, with a thin red moustache and matching, slicked-back hair, Phillip reclined in his luxurious office, easily balancing his telephone conversation with his work on the computer.

_"Where are you routing it from?" _the voice on the other end of the receiver demanded.

"From one of my Cayman Islands accounts, Graydon," Watson rolled his eyes in mock patience. "You of all people should know we have to do this carefully-we don't need to be giving the muties any ammunition-and I don't want to give the _Bugle _any leads they could use to expose our…association," he finished smoothly, before pulling his ear away from the receiver at the predictable tirade of obscenities. In spite of himself, he couldn't help but chuckle at the way the _Daily Bugle_'s pro-mutant rights editorials sent Graydon Creed, leader of the Friends of Humanity, into a spitting frenzy of rage.

And, Watson had to admit to himself, pushing Creed's buttons was fun.

"I'm thinking of the good of the Friends of Humanity here, Graydon," Watson continued patiently, going to his office bar and pouring himself his sixth beer of the night. "Spend the money as you see fit, but I'm just saying that we need to take care in our financial dealings…I don't care who you hire, as long as-I'll have it to you wired tomorrow, all right? I'm done-I've got other things to do," he concluded, hanging up and setting the phone down with a frustrated sigh.

An hour and another beer later, he crossed into a well-decorated lounge. Recoiled on the couch was a lovely young dark-haired woman, one…Tara, was it?

Not that it mattered overmuch to Watson. He could never keep these call girls' names straight anyway.

"Hard day?" the young woman purred as she began to massage his shoulders.

"Too many damn mutants," Phillip muttered to himself, contemptuously flinging down the _Daily Globe _after shooting a hateful glare at its front page. "The muties are joining the costumed set, I just know it. These new ones, that Sleepwalker person and now this Spider-_Woman_," he spat the last word out in disgust, "are mutants. How else do you explain Sleepwalker's green skin, or Spider-Woman's twisted powers? They're all freaks, every one of them…"

"That Spider-Man guy seems pretty nice," the call girl said off-handedly. "Saved me from a gang of thugs once, and-" her words were cut off as Phillip whirled around and backhanded her across the face. His eyes flaring, Watson breathed heavily as he glared down at her, nodding slowly as she recoiled in fear.

"I would suggest…purely for your sake, my dear…that you refrain from discussing those costumed freaks in my presence. After all, I am not paying you for intellectual conversation…Tara?"

"Tanya," the young woman swallowed. "T-Tanya Sealy."

"Ah, yes," Phillip nodded, taking a long pull on his freshly opened beer. "Just as a reminder," he said with a smile as he swatted her across the face again, "you would do well not to talk back to me in the future, much less discuss anyone of the costumed set in a positive manner."

All Sealy could do was nod.

* * *

Her homework done for the night, Spider-Woman set out on her nightly patrols. Swinging into the wealthier areas of the city, Spider-Woman found little of interest that night aside from ordinary passerby and traffic. One hour turned into two, and there was still nothing of interest.

Passing into Fifth Avenue, Spider-Woman was contemplating heading home to get some rest, until a mysterious flash of light caught her eye. Stopping on a wall and looking about quickly, she raced to the roof and peered over the skyline, catching a faintly shimmering trail of light that seemed to emanate from the windows of one of the classy, high-end expensive boutiques that some of the city's most famous society ladies and socialites were known to peruse. Quickly webswinging over to the building, and looking into its window, Spider-Woman was astonished by what she saw inside.

A glowing orb of light, trailing a ribbon of golden light behind it, floated within the boutique, lighting it up from within and revealing the room as the manager's office. To Spider-Woman's surprise, the orb began to grow, slowly taking on a human form, before the light faded, replaced with the form of a man with long golden hair and matching glowing eyes, clad entirely in a costume of green with a golden light emblem on the chest. Staring intently, the man began striding over to a wall at the far end of the room, throwing aside the painting to expose a large safe hidden behind it.

The office door was suddenly thrown open, and the green-suited man whirled around as a security guard burst into the room, pistol drawn. The guard shouted at the green-suited man, who merely stood there as his eyes glowed. The guard's eyes began flashing in return, and he slowly lowered his gun, before turning it around to place in his mouth.

Before he could do so, however, Spider-Woman burst in through the window and caught the guard with her webs, pinning his arms to his sides and leaving him unable to finish what he started. The green-skinned man gawked in amazement at the new arrival, before an ugly scowl flared across his face.

"I never expected to attract the attention of the illustrious Spider-Woman," the man said in mock tones, taking a sarcastic bow. "To think that a petty bandit such as myself-" he started before dodging out of the way of Spider-Woman's electric sting, which blasted into the wall behind him.

"No standing on ceremony?" he grinned, leaping into the air and taking the form of a ball of light, charging at Spider-Woman and smashing through the wall into the hallway as she rolled out of his path. "You may call me the Will o' the Wisp," he smirked, still shimmering in the air as a ball of light. "I was hoping for something to enliven the proceedings," he said, bursting into laughter as he smashed back through the wall, this time charging at the still hypnotized guard, who Spider-Woman quickly pulled out of the way with her webbing and bound to the floor to keep him from wandering off and hurting himself.

"I'd just as soon call you stung," Spider-Woman said coldly, firing one and then another sting blast from her hands, tagging the Wisp with the second as he dodged the first. Shouting in pain from the blast, the Wisp briefly flickered, before suddenly emitting a brilliant flash of light. Blinded, Spider-Woman could only raise her arms as the Wisp charged into her, his orb of light now as hard as rock, smashing her back into the hallway and into the far wall. Spinning around Spider-Woman, he repeatedly struck at her from different angles, hitting once, twice and again as she scrambled to defend herself.

Her eyes still dazzled by the Wisp's attack, Spider-Woman squatted down, spraying her webbing all around her until she heard the cries of the suddenly entangled Wisp. Swiftly regaining her sight, Spider-Woman caught the Wisp with another sting blast before the Wisp shifted to become intangible once again, freeing himself from her webs. Clearing Spider-Woman's mess of webbing and resuming his human form, the Wisp only grinned as she leapt to face him, his eyes glowing evilly.

Remembering what had happened to the security guard, Spider-Woman closed her eyes before she could be hypnotized, hoping to locate the Wisp by sound. Rather, she found him by her sense of touch, as the Wisp suddenly punched her in the back of the head, having resumed his light form and flown behind her, before shifting one of his arms back to human form to strike at her.

As Spider-Woman fell to her knees, she crawled around to face the Will o' the Wisp.

"Forgive my intellectual curiosity, my dear," the Wisp asked sardonically, "but what could motivate you to take up such a dangerous profession as crimefighting? I at least have my monetary gains, as well as the possibility of repaying those lowly peons responsible for my…_circumstances,_ as they were," he smiled. "But what **is **it that motivates you heroes to do what you do?" As Spider-Woman raised her head, his eyes began glowing again.

"More that you'll ever know!" Spider-Woman shouted as she punched straight up, again shutting her eyes to protect herself from her foe's hypnosis. Caught totally off guard, the Wisp was caught on the jaw by Spider-Woman's punch, and crashed into and through the wall leading into the main shopping area as he reflexively shifted his molecules into their dense form. Once again a ball of light, he whirled around menacingly as Spider-Woman sprang through the hole after him, spinning a webline and crashing into him with a vicious swing kick, sending him spinning off course and crashing heavily into the floor, before resuming his human form.

"I may have been inclined to be merciful!" Will o' the Wisp shouted in fury, as he flashed another burst of light, which Spider-Woman instinctively closed her eyes to defend against, gritting her teeth in frustration at her foe's ability to blind her. "But you, my dear, have hindered the efforts of your betters, and such an affront demands punishment!" Spider-Woman reflexively opened her eyes once again, the Wisp seemed to have disappeared…until the lights of the store began flickering weirdly, spontaneously exploding as bursts of electricity struck down at her. The Wisp had taken control of the boutique's electrical system itself, a point driven home by the blaring loudspeakers and alarms that echoed through the store. Will o' the Wisp had created a nightmare of blinding lights and deafening noise, leaving Spider-Woman hopelessly confused…

…at least until a strange tingling sensation echoed through her mind. With her eyes and ears closed, she followed the sensation's insistent pull, turning around until she saw where the intuition was leading her. Eyes still closed, she unleashed a double sting blast in the direction she was being directed.

The noises and the lights ceased immediately as the Wisp roared in pain, sputtering in anger as he emerged from the boutique's central computer, which he had overridden to take control of its light and sound systems. Opening her eyes, Spider-Woman saw she had aimed her stinging blasts at the precise place where the Wisp had been hiding. Without hesitation, she spun a web and sprung into the air, striking down the hardened orb the Wisp had shifted into. The Wisp crashed heavily to the ground, electricity still coursing across his body. As Spider-Woman moved to web him up, however, he shifted back to intangibility and became an orb of light once again, although he continued to spark from Spider-Woman's attack.

Agonizing tingles coursed through the Wisp's body; being attacked with electricity while in a computer system had short-circuited him. Barely able to control his powers through the pain, he began screaming in a rage at Spider-Woman as he took to the air again.

"You'll pay for this, all of you!" Will o' the Wisp shouted, half mad from pain, as he smashed through the far window and took off into the night. "Again! **AGAIN **you ruin everything! Maureen, Hugh, Spider-Woman, all of you!" he screamed as he took off into the night, too fast for Spider-Woman to catch him, still sparking and fizzling and leaving a trail of electrical sparkling light behind him.

All Spider-Woman could do was try to follow him, but by the time she got to the window, the Wisp was long gone. Going back upstairs, she allowed herself a smile as she found the wall safe intact and the guard unharmed, although now unconscious, and soon to be free once her webbing dissolved. Checking outside, she saw the police cars pulling up, no doubt attracted by the light show Wisp had created with the boutique's electrical system.

She also noticed the flash photograph taken of her, no doubt by another news photographer who would have it in the newspapers tomorrow morning.

All of a sudden, Spider-Woman felt a sense of peace and serenity flood through her, as she began to swing home, satisfied of a good night's work.

One thought continued to nag at her, however…

How had she known where the Wisp was hiding?

* * *

Still sparking and fizzing, it was several hours before the Wisp regained enough control of himself to come to his senses. He was in a foul mood as he flew back to his lair, as he felt the ugly memories begin to resurface in spite of himself.

_"Look, Maureen, I have to go!" Jackson Arvad said in exasperation, sitting in his office just outside the electromagnetic research lab he worked at for Roxxon Industries. "Yeah…yeah I __**know **__you made reservations, but I already told you I was working late tonight…give me a break! Do you even realize what kind of a promotion I could get if this experiment succeeds? We're talking…" _

_"Blast it all!" Arvad cursed as he slammed the phone down. _

_"What's wrong?" his assistant Howard asked. _

_"Difficulties with my significant other," Arvad muttered. "Are the preparations complete?" _

_"Just about," Howard answered, fiddling nervously with his moustache. "But I really wish you'd approved those vibranium safeguards. I mean, this kind of electrical acceleration on molecule protons…didn't Hank Pym publish something about its dangers in _Scientific American _a few years ago?"_

_"Are you even aware of the costs of vibranium these days?" Arvad reproached him. "With the exorbitant prices charged by the Wakandans, I am not about to surrender even more of the company's money. In any event, you are aware of Mr. Melvin's thrift and frugality," referring to their boss, a quintessential bean counter. "He will appreciate our efforts to maximize our budgets." _

_Perhaps the Roxxon brass would have been impressed with Jackson Arvad's budget-conscious measures, if the catastrophic lab explosion hadn't killed six people in the process, and exposed Arvad himself to a dangerous amount of electromagnetic radiation, that later had to be siphoned off from his body. _

_

* * *

_

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mr. Arvad?" Emerson Bale, Attorney at Law, asked his client. "We might be able to make a countersuit against Roxxon for wrongful dismissal, but why are you countersuing the families of your colleagues who were killed in the explosion?"

_"Their accusations against me are the grossest slander!" Arvad shouted, his eyes seeming to flash with golden light. "How can they possibly claim that __**I **__am responsible for the explosion?" _

_"According to their attorneys, it's because you refused to install certain protective measures that might have guaranteed their safety. That's gross negligence, at the very least," Bale warned him. "I would advise you most strongly not to proceed with this. If their allegations are proven in court and the jury rules against you, your case against Roxxon will be severely weakened…"_

_"Given what you are charging me, I should expect that you would follow my directives!" Arvad ordered. "See that it is done!" _

_

* * *

_

Bale's warnings proved to be well-founded. Jackson Arvad lost all the lawsuits he filed, running up expensive lawyers' fees even as he was struck with heavy damages from the families of the people killed in the lab explosion. Of course, he stood to lose much more as well…

_"Jackson's always had a stubborn streak," Maureen Arvad sighed as she shook her head, reading about the lawsuits in the _Daily Bugle. _"Always so vindictive, too…"_

_"Like you need to tell me," Hugh Jones muttered, sitting down and putting his arms around Maureen. "The bastard got me demoted and kicked out of my department just so he…"_

_Maureen put a finger on his lips. _

_"Ssshhh, let it go," she advised him. "Jackson's made his choices. Let him take responsibility for them." _

_"Hey, he doesn't realize what he had going for him," Hugh smiled as he brought Maureen in for a kiss. _

* * *

Nothing had gone right for Jackson Arvad since that time. First bankrupted by the lawsuits against him, he soon found that no company would hire him, owing to his bad reputation. With his mortgage past due, his wife filing for divorce, and his inability to find another position in his field, Jackson Arvad seemed to truly have nothing…

…until he found himself glowing. As his eyes turned golden, and his entire body began to tingle and shimmer, Jackson Arvad found himself able to become intangible and immaterial, or rock solid. Able to hypnotize and control people with his glowing eyes, and override and seize control of electrical systems, Arvad could even shapeshift into a ball of glowing light, fully conscious and in control of his movements. A specially made green suit could transform along with him. Like a good scientist, he experimented and practiced until he gained full control of his abilities.

While he had himself disdained myth and folklore, it was one of Maureen's passions, and she had told him a number of interesting stories, including several about the mysterious will o' the wisps, most of which had to do with the dark choices people made, that left them trapped for all eternity, or that led the foolish to their doom.

_They told me I had choices, that I made the wrong ones, _the Wisp smiled wickedly that night as he flew over the New York skyline, seemingly a shooting star in the darkness. _But were my actions so foolish, when they gave me __**power? **__More than any of them could ever hope for? _

_If I made the wrong choices…I can make __**new **__ones._

_Maureen…Hugh…Bale…Spider-Woman…_

_You all made me…and I'll be sure to return the favor._

His laughter echoed on the cold winter breeze as he flew into the night.

_(__**Next Issue: **_After a stiff meeting with her father Phillip, Mary Jane is confronted with memories of her home life growing up in his house. As she later meets to commiserate with her friends Liz and Harry, Mary Jane finds that she has no time to relax when her friends are abducted by the twisted showman known as the Brothers Grimm! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #3: Sins of the Fathers!) _


	3. Sins of the Fathers

Mary Jane Watson took a deep breath as she stood at the door to Phillip Watson's lavish upscale penthouse. She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head, her long red hair flying behind her, before she forced herself to reach out and ring the doorbell.

All she got from him was a raised eyebrow as he answered the door, before he looked up and down at her disapprovingly.

"You've been shopping with Kristy again, I take it?" he scowled as she came in.

"What makes you say that?" Mary Jane replied, an acid edge in her voice.

"That skirt, for one," Phillip said sourly. "I've told Anna a dozen times she needs to get that little snip under control, before she-"

"Before she _**what?**_" Mary Jane started. She looked around Phillip's finely decorated parlor, noting the many hunting trophies, the guns on the walls, the football memorabilia, the pictures of baseball games, and other similar decorations her father used to adorn his house.

"Never mind," Phillip said in a slightly airy tone, waving a dismissive hand as he and Mary Jane went in and sat down. "What are you doing here, anyway?" Phillip demanded as he strode over to the bar, returning to the scotch on the rocks he had been preparing before she had interrupted him.

"I've come for Mom's check," Mary Jane answered. "I take it you're not too busy, one way or another, to keep up the payments?"

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #3

"SINS OF THE FATHERS"

* * *

"So you're **still** spending my money?" Phillip noted, his eyebrows knitted. "And yes, I'm keeping up the payments to my darling wife. We both know how much I love her."

Mary Jane flinched, even she tried to ignore the memories of her mother's screams that were aroused by the smell of Phillip's liquor.

"And how are things with you?" Phillip continued as he leaned back in his chair, ignoring his daughter's reaction. "Still wasting my money on that stupid Drama major?"

"It's not stupid!" Mary Jane snapped at her father, an ugly scowl crossing her face. "I'm much better at them than-"

"Than the Law or Accounting degrees I said you should enroll in?" Phillip's eyes narrowed dangerously. "At least then I'd be getting my money's worth on my investment…"

"The way you do on all your _investments, _I'm sure," Mary Jane replied acidly.

Phillip's eyes flared in a rage, and he stood up, his cheeks flushing with anger. Finally, he regained control of himself with a visible effort.

"Even so," he stopped to take a deep breath, "you at least know your place, even if I am not entirely fond of your choices of…**attire**," he frowned.

It took all of Mary Jane's effort not to string Phillip up with her webbing.

"That's what I always liked about you and your mother, you know," Phillip continued. "You've always known your places, not like these damned mutants, or all the blasted superheroes that have been appearing over the last decade," he cursed. "Just look at this newspaper!" he continued, throwing Mary Jane a copy of the _Daily Globe _with a picture of Spider-Woman on the front cover. "Now the mutants are trying to make themselves into superheroes!"

Mary Jane looked at the newspaper, then up at her father, whose face was dark with anger.

"Damned costumes," he muttered. "They won't…"

"What about Mom's check?" interrupted Mary Jane.

"…What?" Phillip Watson began. "Oh, yes…come along, then," he continued, leading Mary Jane into his office, where he wrote out a check and handed it over to her. Leaning back in his chair, his eyes suddenly gleamed, as a wide grin spread across his face.

"Tell me, Mary Jane…perhaps there **is **a way we can put that Drama degree you're going for to good use," he smiled.

Mary Jane never liked it when her father smiled.

"Some friends and I have discussed putting together some public service announcements criticizing those superheroes. After all, who do they think they are, taking the law into their own hands? The property damage they cause, the lives they put in danger…" Phillip started.

"What does this have to do with me?" Mary Jane asked.

"I could persuade my colleagues to give you the lead role in some of those announcements," Phillip offered. "It'd be good for your career, after all. You've said how hard finding good jobs is in New York is…"

Mary Jane just stood there for a moment.

"I'll…have to get back to you," she finally answered. "I might not be able to fit it into my schedule."

"Very well," Phillip frowned. "Now, unless you have some other business to discuss with me, get going. I have work to do."

"Of course," Mary Jane said coldly, heading for the door.

* * *

Over the next hour after Mary Jane's departure, Phillip spent an hour going through his e-mails, and typing his regular correspondence. Finishing his scotch, he poured himself a second one before ringing for his limousine.

A short twenty-minute drive led him to the imposing corporate headquarters of Osborn Industries. Known as one of America's leading chemical companies, Oscorp, as it was commonly called, owed much of its success to its president and CEO, Norman Osborn. Known for turning Oscorp around after his alcoholic father had driven it into the ground, Norman Osborn had built his company into one of the hottest properties on Wall Street, earning himself a cover story in _Forbes Magazine _entitled "The Miracle Worker."

There was little mistaking Norman Osborn as Phillip strode into his immaculately designed office. Of only middling height but powerfully built, with deep, intense brown eyes and reddish hair arranged in cornrows, Norman Osborn radiated an almost tangible feeling of wealth and power. He and Phillip were old friends from years back, and Phillip had extensively worked for Osborn as a consultant in a number of his business activities.

That didn't mean, however, that the two were close. In their years of working together, Phillip had noticed that Osborn never really seemed close to anyone-and it always struck Phillip just how little he really knew about his colleague. They golfed together, and occasionally had dinner, but Norman had always been reticent about himself.

There was one thing, however, that Phillip had noticed about Norman-the lights that flared in his eyes whenever his emotions came out.

On the thankfully rare occasions when Norman had shown his emotional side, Phillip had always realized just how very, very unwise it would be to make an enemy of Norman Osborn.

Norman stood up to receive Phillip, and the two men shook hands and sat down.

"You seem tense," Norman stated, glancing over the grim expression on Phillip's face.

"Damn wife, damn daughter," Phillip answered, shuffling his papers irritably. "I fucking hate biology. At least **you **got lucky…"

"Don't insult me," Norman snorted. "My son's a disgrace. From what I've seen of your daughter, at least she isn't a crybaby like Harry. If it weren't for that Peter Parker boy, he'd be on academic probation."

"Peter Parker boy?" Phillip asked.

"A brilliant intellect, a Chemistry major," Norman noted approvingly. "Strong-willed, hardworking, everything you could want in a son. He's been helping Harry with his studies. I've got my eye on him-when he graduates, he'll be a prize catch for Oscorp."

"Speaking of which," Phillip noted, "I brought the new contract for the Kingpin's 'waste disposal' services," he answered, taking a sheaf of papers out of his briefcase and handing them over to Norman.

Norman glanced over them, as his eyes flared.

"These prices are outrageous!" he hissed.

"Still cheaper than disposing of the chemicals legally, but you're right. Maybe we should switch over to Crimewave, the Maggia, or that Philippe Bazin guy?" Phillip asked.

"Check Crimewave and Bazin," Norman decided after a moment of thought. "But not the Maggia. I'd rather lobby Congress to repeal the Clean Water Act than give them any of my money."

"I'll make the calls," Phillip nodded as he moved on to other details.

* * *

Mary Jane shoved her way through the doors leading into the apartment building where Phillip resided, nearly knocking over the doorman as he reached over to open it for her. Not even noticing his angry scowl, she continued marching down the street, her face a mask of iron.

She hated having to come down and pick up the checks.

The images always came back.

"_We've got good news, Mr. Watson," Dr. Donald Blake told Phillip as he waited outside the delivery room. "The delivery was a success, and you have a beautiful little girl!"_

_The look of eager anticipation on Phillip Watson's face was suddenly replaced with a long frown, as his shoulders drooped. _

Even when she was little, Mary Jane noticed how her father had difficulty looking directly at her for many years after her birth.

_"Phillip, please, don't worry! The loss of the Utrecht account isn't the end of the world-we'll figure something out, I know we will!" Maddie Watson tried to comfort her distraught husband, putting a hand on his shoulder. _

_"__**Shut up!**__" Phillip roared, rising from his desk and striking her across the face. "Do you even realize how long I spent working on this?" he continued, slapping her again. "You don't even know how many favors I called in to get the inside track with Utrecht! And then Simon turns around and stabs me in the back! The same way it's always fucking been!"_

_Sitting down, he took a long, hard pull at the bottle of beer he had taken to comfort his sorrows. _

_"Phillip-" Maddie began. "We'll find a way, we always do-" _

_"Don't insult me!" Phillip shouted, striking again. "You're not the one who has to put up with those sons of bitches, laughing behind your back! They always screw me over like this! And what about you?" he demanded, shoving Maddie back against the wall. "Ever since __**she **__came along," Phillip snarled, spitting out the word as if it were an epithet, even as he pointed at the six-year old Mary Jane, "it's all I can do to keep us from losing the goddamn house!"_

_"Phillip," Maddie began. _

_Her husband's next blow knocked her to the floor. _

Of course, as Mary Jane recalled, Phillip never looked at her, even when he pointed at her.

_"Dad?" the thirteen year-old Mary Jane asked, pushing the door open. "I'm sorry to bug you, but I need help with-" _

_Just about the last thing Mary Jane expected to see was her father in the arms of a woman besides her mother, especially when that woman was, at the very most, twice Mary Jane's age. _

_"Mary Jane!" Phillip yelled in shock. "Get out, __**now!**__"_

_Mary Jane just stood there in shock. _

_The call girl Phillip was with picked up a glass decanter from the bedside table. _

_"Get out of here, you little bitch!" she screamed at Mary Jane, who just barely shut the door before the thrown decanter shattered against it. _

_"I'll kill you if you tell!" Mary Jane heard the call girl shout as she ran down the hallway. _

* * *

Mary Jane took several deep breaths as she stepped into the Coffee Bean, one of Empire State University's on-campus coffee shops, to meet with Harry and Liz. They were already there, seated together at a table. As Mary Jane headed towards them, Liz waved and stood up with a smile, as Harry nodded in greeting. Ordering a latte of her own, Mary Jane greeted her friends and sat down to join them.

"How'd the Bio quiz go?" Mary Jane asked them.

"Good enough," Liz smiled. "I got a 77, better than I expected."

Harry scowled at this.

"Don't ask," he muttered, drinking his Seven-Up to calm his churning stomach. "Bad enough my dad's riding me over this, I don't need to hear it from you."

"Give us a little credit," Mary Jane shot back. "Why the hell would you think we'd be making fun of you over it?"

"…Sorry," Harry muttered. "Dad read me the riot act all last night. I **tried **to tell him that Peter blew me off for that study session, but he wouldn't listen. The way he goes on, you'd think he'd rather have Peter as his son anyway," he grumbled.

"Asshole," Mary Jane scowled. "Sounds like he probably would."

Harry turned ashen pale, as Liz stared at her in astonishment.

"…What the hell, MJ?" Harry finally asked, half in shock and half in disbelief.

"Come on, Mary Jane," Liz said reproachfully. "You should know better than that. I mean, honestly!"

A wave of shame fell over Mary Jane, as she saw Harry's pained expression.

"Please, Harry, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I know what it's like to have a dad who seems like he'd rather have someone else as his kid. You can't even confide in him?"

"Hell no," Harry muttered. "Every time I try to talk to him, he just tells me to shut my mouth and be a man. It's not like he'd understand, anyway-he's the one who pushed me into taking Business and Chemistry. You think he'd pay for me to take Film Studies, like I wanted?"

"Well…" Mary Jane began.

"Well, he wouldn't," Harry muttered. "Besides, he's hardly ever around anymore anyway. When he's not at Oscorp, he's off running to God knows where on some other business trip."

"Consider yourself lucky in that case," Mary Jane answered. "At least Norman Osborn doesn't-" she stopped short.

"What's wrong, MJ?" Liz asked.

"Nothing," she replied, flipping back a strand of her hair that had come in front of her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Liz pressed.

"Yes!" Mary Jane insisted, rolling her eyes.

"You're a bad liar, MJ," Liz shook her head. "Please, can't we-"

"No!" Mary Jane snapped. "It's none of your business, okay?"

"I'm sorry," Liz said, recoiling in surprise. "Do you-"

"Let's just get to class, okay?" Mary Jane cut her off.

* * *

The quad of Empire State University was just like that of any other American university, although the bad winter weather prevented the student body from using the quad for their usual activities of studying and Frisbee. Nonetheless, it was occupied by more than two dozen students passing through on their way to one class or another, besides Mary Jane, Liz and Harry.

The air was filled with the usual chatter, and Mary Jane and her friends were each occupied with their own thoughts, until they heard the horrible, discordant howling. Looking around in alarm, Mary Jane was shocked to see strange, dark winged shapes flying through the sky down towards the students. She briefly did a double-take as she realized what they were.

Winged monkeys, like something out of _The Wizard of Oz. _Winged monkeys, except they were real, and screaming in fury as they swooped down to grab a number of students. Some ran in terror, others shouted in confusion, still others tried to fight the monkeys, and were either knocked unconscious or swept up by the hideous creatures.

Mary Jane's mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do. One monkey swooped at her, and she retaliated with a roundhouse kick. The creature turned away before the blow could fully connect, but Mary Jane's enhanced strength left the wretched creature howling in pain, before it turned around and grabbed Liz, pulling her into the air before Mary Jane could catch it. She heard another cry behind her, and quickly saw that another of the creatures had grabbed Harry.

In less than a minute, more than seventeen people had been kidnapped by the strange, twisted things. Mary Jane tried running after the creatures, but they were simply too fast, and were soon out of sight.

Mary Jane cursed out loud, developing a bitter tension in her limbs, her stomach and her heard. However, the sensation of illness was replaced by an insistent, overwhelming tingling feeling that nagged at her temples. At first, she tried to ignore it, attempting to work out where the monkeys would have taken Liz and Harry, but the feeling continued to build up within her, until she finally felt as though she would scream out loud.

A quick detour into the school's gymnasium, located right near the quad, allowed Mary Jane to quickly change costume, thankfully without being noticed. The spectacular Spider-Woman soon took to the air, following the insistent mental pull that she simply could not deny. Swinging through the air, ignoring the calls of recognition from the people in the streets below, Spider-Woman somehow knew that she would be able to find Liz and Harry this way.

She didn't know how, or why-probably some new aspect of her powers, she decided-but that wasn't important at the moment.

* * *

Harry and Liz, still carried by the winged monkeys, soon found themselves in Central Park, flying for another bizarre sight, that of a large wall of thorns that sprouted over and above the leafless trees and bushes of the Park. Other flocks of monkeys flew in from other directions, all carrying more people, abduction victims just like them. As they flew over the thorn barrier, they found yet another strange sight, that of an impromptu theater stage, erected in old Renaissance style with seats. Landing in the theater, the monkeys quite forcefully dragged their victims into the seats, viciously clawing and beating any who resisted.

Looking at the stage nervously, the "audience" saw what resembled a group of toy soldiers march out, some from each wing, before lining up in military formation. Blowing a fanfare on their medieval toy trumpets, the audience was suddenly stunned to see the masks of Comedy and Tragedy above the stage swing open, as a strangely-clad figure fell out.

He was dressed in a bizarre costume with a blood red torso and boots, and deep blue leggings, arms and gloves, a wide-brimmed red collar that reached well above his head, and a leering skull-like mask.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen!" the strangely masked man greeted the audience. "Perhaps you're wondering why our…'associates'…have brought you here?"

"What the hell is this?" one man yelled. "You one of those supervillains or something?"

"We're not a supervillain!" the masked man shouted in a plaintive, more childlike voice. "And we don't want to hurt you, we-"

"Shut up, Percy!" the man suddenly yelled again, this time in his original voice. "Although on one level Percy **is **right-we're showmen, not supervillains. All we want to do is entertain you fine people, after which we'll be paid for our troubles."

"Who the hell are you?" a woman shouted in confusion.

"We're-" the man began in his plaintive voice.

"Shut up, Percy!" the man suddenly snapped again in his stronger voice, seemingly arguing with himself.

"But, Barton-" the man began to whine once again.

"I'm in control here!" 'Barton' snapped, before once again addressing the audience. "We're called the Brothers Grimm. And, again, we will provide you fine people with some entertainment, after which we'll be paid for the show we have given you. All your money, all your jewelry, what have you."

"Go to hell!" one of the men in the audience shouted.

"Of course, should you refuse to pay our salary," the Brothers Grimm threatened, waving his hand. Out of nowhere, it seemed, a small brightly-colored Easter egg appeared in his hand. The Brothers Grimm casually threw it to the ground before the front row of seats, where it exploded violently, leaving a large, jagged hole in the ground.

"Well…you get the picture," the Brothers Grimm smiled.

_(__**Next Issue: **_As she struggles to save Harry and Liz, Spider-Woman is forced to fight for her life against the twisted and mysterious Brothers Grimm. At the same time, she is confronted with some unpleasant implications…All this and more in _Spider-Woman #4: No Clowning Around!) _


	4. No Clowning Around

Liz Allen and Harry Osborn could only sit and watch in horror at the ghastly show taking place on the stage before them: animated puppets viciously beating each other with spiked clubs, with blood flying everywhere; toy scarecrows screaming in agony as they were set on fire by cackling dolls painted to look like witches; jack in the boxes popping open to display leering human skulls; mannequins of superheroes such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Moon Knight, and Daredevil being hung and impaled by insanely giggling masked teddy bears; and the horrific master of ceremonies, the Brothers Grimm, who hung upside down from a toy swing that dangled from a toy cloud, juggling what looked disconcertingly like human bones.

Liz and Harry were among the Brothers' kidnap victims, people abducted by the strange things the Brothers seemed to be able to conjure, put in a captive audience and forced to watch the hideous performance, after which the Brothers expected "payment" in the form of all the money his victims had on them. Briefly glancing around, Liz and Harry could see that most of the other people in the audience were horrified, sickened, nauseated and frightened, to varying degrees in each. Like the rest of the Brothers' victims, Liz and Harry felt much the same way. Held in place by the Brothers' winged monkey servants, and trapped within a large ring of thorn bushes several meters high, there was no way to escape.

"What do you think?" the Brothers grinned beneath his skull-faced mask. "Remember, I need feedback-a good performer always tailors his act in response to what the audience tells him. Come on…please?" he finished, speaking in his assertive 'Barton' voice.

"Please, please, **please **don't make him angry," the Brothers suddenly whimpered in his childlike 'Percy' tone. "You wouldn't like Barton when he's angry."

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #4

"NO CLOWNING AROUND"

* * *

As she swung through the city, following the insistent feeling that led her towards Central Park, Spider-Woman was left wondering just why she was developing these emotions.

_It's part of my…'gifts', I suppose, _she thought caustically as she came towards Central Park. _A hell of a lot of good it did when those rejects from the Wizard of Oz attacked Harry and Liz…_she finished bitterly.

Coming down into the park, she knew full well that the large ring of thorn bushes should not be there, especially in the dead of winter. The screams, cries and music coming from within the ring were even more of a giveaway.

"Could this be any more obvious?" she muttered to no one in particular, before she realized that was exactly the point-it **was **too obvious. Her first instinct had been to blow a hole in the side of the thorn bushes and make her way in, but she paused now, realizing that she needed a better view of what was going on inside, to figure out a way to save Harry, Liz and the other people those monkeys had kidnapped before doing anything else.

Climbing a tree with her spiderlike agility, Spider-Woman saw the twisted scene within the ring of thorn bushes, and the two dozen monkeys hovering threateningly over the audience members.

Her eyes narrowed as she began to think.

* * *

His nerves on edge, Harry could no longer bear looking at the Brothers Grimm's demented performance, and averted his eyes. Immediately, the winged monkey nearest him raised its fist to strike at him, beating him until he went back to watch, until the creature started in shock, even as the Brothers Grimm screamed out in pain and crashed to the ground as an electric blast struck him, almost out of nowhere, it seemed…

As Harry looked up, he saw the winged monkeys taking to the air, howling in surprise. Before the creatures could do anything, they were suddenly entangled in a mess of…_spider webbing?, _by a figure swinging into the ring of thorns from overhead. The figure released a long stream of webbing from one of its hands, using the other to swing as it entangled all of the monkeys, before making a three-point landing in front of the monkeys, whipping them up and over so they crashed in a pile all over the stage in front of her.

Quickly turning, Spider-Woman released a double blast of her electrical sting, blasting a hole in the side of the thorn bushes. Without the monkeys standing over them, most of the audience needed no second urging, and immediately began fleeing to escape the Brothers Grimm and his demented shows. Others, however, stayed either to watch the fight, tape it on their cell phones…or to leer and whistle at Spider-Woman, who ignored them as she faced the Brothers Grimm. The twisted showman slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off, looking around at his unconscious and battered creations, before fixing his gaze on Spider-Woman.

"Well, well…what have we here?" the Brothers Grimm mused, one hand on his hip as he conjured a walking stick-sized candy cane with another. "Are you a rival performer, intent upon upstaging me and depriving me of my audience?"

"Why did you kidnap these people?" she slowly asked, her voice firm and level, wary of setting this lunatic off.

"'Kidnap' is such a filthy word, my dear," the Brothers replied airily, as he looked at his nails. "I merely granted these people the opportunity of sampling my new material. In return for this privilege, I would of course be given some monetary compensation."

"We just want to entertain!" the Brothers continued in his 'Percy' voice.

"Oh, we'll certainly entertain, Percy," the Brothers continued once more in his 'Barton' voice, as he leapt into the air, conjuring a pie in his hand. "We'll be on YouTube before the day is out!" So saying, he flung the pie at Spider-Woman, who instinctively dodged it. As the pie struck the ground, it exploded, releasing a flock of squawking blackbirds that flew around her, striking from every angle and confusing her before she entangled them in her webbing. Looking around in alarm, she saw that the Brothers Grimm seemed to have disappeared…until the brightly colored Easter eggs struck her from behind, dropped by the laughing Brothers as he flew on a brightly colored five-pointed star.

Spider-Woman sprayed her webbing up at the star the Brothers rode, before striking him with a sting blast as he spun to avoid it. Knocking him off the star, Spider-Woman tagged it with another webline and pulled herself into the air, kicking the Brothers Grimm as he fell and snagging him with a web from her free hand, before landing again and slamming the Brothers down as she dropped to the ground. As the Brothers staggered to his feet, he grinned wickedly underneath his mask.

"Thanks," he leered. "I like it rough." He flicked his hands at Spider-Woman, the yo-yos in his fingers ringed with razor edges which barely missed the arachnid heroine. Entangling them in her webs, she threw them aside, suddenly leaving herself open to the jacks the Brothers Grimm scattered at her feet. Dazzled by the explosions that danced in front of her eyes, Spider-Woman was helpless to avoid the jack-in-the-boxes that the Brothers Grimm tossed next, which burst open and pummeled her with spiked boxing gloves.

As she knocked the boxes away with a sweeping kick, Spider-Woman leapt away and confronted the Brothers Grimm again. The next object he conjured, a bloated whoopee cushion, was struck by Spider-Woman's sting before he could throw it, staggering the Brothers Grimm with his own tear gas and driving him to his knees. Spider-Woman came in, blasting him again with her sting before she punched him once, twice, three times, finally kicking him back, where he crashed into the stage. Spider-Woman moved to web him up, but the Brothers Grimm quickly gestured, raising a wall of thick green beanstalks to block her webbing, before they flew forward to entangle her. She managed to tear herself free, but before she could react the Brothers conjured another hellish toy, a miniature oven which released a mass of sticky, adhesive dough that pinned Spider-Woman to the ground and left her briefly struggling.

Much to her own amazement, however, the dough soon slid off Spider-Woman, and she easily came back to her feet. Leaping over the next series of blinding jacks and closing her eyes to protect her vision, Spider-Woman caught the marbles the Brothers Grimm threw at her, tossing them off to the side as they exploded into flames.

"What's the matter, you don't like being tied up?" the Brothers Grimm asked, a frustrated scowl forming beneath his mask as he conjured another deadly yo-yo. "You seemed like the type who'd really enjoy a good whack on the-"

Livid, Spider-Woman released a double stream of her webbing, catching the Brothers Grimm across the mouth and eyes. As he struggled to tear the webbing off, Spider-Woman blasted him with her sting, before clearing the distance between them with a single leap. She began beating the Brothers Grimm mercilessly, punching him in the gut before slugging him across the face, throwing him back before pulling him again and driving her fist into his face. Groaning in pain, the Brothers Grimm tried to struggle, but was no match for Spider-Woman's superior strength and he soon fell unconscious.

Then, suddenly, the Brothers jerked back to life again, starting to cry and sob as he struggled in Spider-Woman's arms.

"Please…it hurts!" the Brothers Grimm pleaded in his childlike 'Percy' voice. "We surrender! I didn't want to fight you…it was all Barton's idea!"

Spider-Woman hesitated, before a scowl crossed her face and she belted the Brothers across the face once more. She recoiled her fist to strike yet again, before someone grabbed it from behind. Much to her astonishment, Spider-Woman saw Liz trying to hold her back.

"What are you doing?" she demanded harshly.

"He gave up!" Liz answered urgently. "You don't need to keep beating on him!"

"Please…stop…it hurts…" the Brothers Grimm mumbled in his 'Percy' voice.

Her hands starting to tremble, Spider-Woman removed the Brothers Grimm's mask, horrified at the livid black and blue bruises. A thrill of horror passed through her as she slowly set the Brothers down on the ground, webbing up his hands and feet. Around them, all the strange things the Brothers had conjured faded away and disappeared upon the collapse of their creator, his will no longer sustaining them.

Spider-Woman only looked at Liz briefly, before she leapt up and swung away, and soon disappeared.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Mary Jane asked Harry and Liz in concern, sitting in the Coffee Bean with her friends after they returned from being examined by the medical staff who had responded to arrest the Brothers Grimm and treat his victims.

"We'll live," Harry said, still pale and shaking.

"…What's the matter?" Mary Jane asked in pause.

"I…oh God!" Harry groaned, putting his head in his hands. "I just froze…I couldn't even run, I was so freaked out…"

Liz put her arms around him, hugging him sympathetically, as Mary Jane reached out and put his hand in hers.

"It'll be alright, Harry," Mary Jane reassured him. "They took away that lunatic…what was his name again?"

"The Brothers Grimm," Liz answered. "He had like a split personality or something; one of them was that twisted freak that called himself Barton, and the crying one was called Percy, I think."

"Sounds like a really sick freak," Mary Jane frowned. "You said it was that Spider-Woman person who took him out?"

"Yeah," Liz said. "Spider-Woman saved us, she saved everyone." Liz suddenly fell silent, a faraway look in her eyes.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked her.

"I'm thinking about that Spider-Woman person," Liz said after a moment's pause. "She seemed so…I don't know how to describe it…angry."

"A…angry?" Mary Jane started, barely managing to keep herself under control. "What do you mean, angry? And what would it matter if she was?"

"I mean the way she fought the Brothers Grimm," Liz replied. "The way she was throwing things around, the way she fired those energy blasts at him, and especially the way she beat on him at the end. She broke the Brothers Grimm's jaw, gave him a black eye, and she cracked most of his ribs on the left side when she punched him in the stomach."

"Wow," Harry said in amazement.

"She could really hurt someone if she goes off like that," Liz continued. "I just hope she doesn't…"

Mary Jane tried very, very hard to keep her temper, even as she began to clench the table.

"Excuse me?" she finally started. "It sounds like she saved your lives! And you're worried about how she beat up the guy that kidnapped and would have robbed you, if she hadn't stopped him?"

"Not just that, MJ," Liz shook her head. "She just seems so…I don't know how to describe it, but she's just intense, angry. I don't know what she's dealing with, but-"

"But what?" Mary Jane spat, finally losing her temper. "She puts her life on the line to protect you, and you chew her out for beating up the criminal? What the hell, Liz?"

"It's not just that, Mary Jane," Liz protested. "When she was fighting that Blizzard guy last week, some of the people who were watching the fight said they nearly got hit with all the debris that went flying when she threw that car at Blizzard. She wasn't even paying any-"

"Well, come on," Mary Jane cut her off. "Why are they dumb enough to stand around and watch in the first place?"

"MJ!" Harry snapped at her. "I couldn't move! You think I wasn't trying to run?"

"I…I didn't mean you…" Mary Jane stammered apologetically. "If you can't move, then…"

"That's exactly the point," Liz explained. "You never know who could get caught up in those kinds of situations-isn't the hero supposed to do something about that?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure it's easy for them to keep track of every last little thing when they're not fighting for their lives against some crazed costumed maniac that's trying to kill them," Mary Jane retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, I'm sure you know what it's like to fear for your life. You're **always **thinking clearly then," she said in disgust, getting up from the table, tossing down some money to pay for her drinks, and heading for the door.

"MJ, wait!" Liz called out.

Mary Jane just ignored her.

* * *

After completing her homework, Mary Jane did not feel like going webswinging that night. Returning to her dojo, she resumed practicing her martial arts exercises.

_Why am I doing this? _she wondered as she drove her fist through a thick wooden plank. _Why the hell did I decide to put on a costume, of all things? _

She knew that full well, of course; every time she heard Phillip Watson's name on the radio, she was reminded of why she had decided to do this.

_Well then, _she wondered as she repeatedly kicked and jabbed a makiwara, careful not to hit it too hard with her superhuman strength, _why the hell did I have to be a mutant? And what the hell am I supposed to do with them, if I don't use them the way I do? It's not like I can use them to help Mom…_Mary Jane realized, seething inwardly at the realization.

Her argument with Liz and Harry continued to play out in her head as she turned to working on a speed bag. They were right, on one level, she realized; she hadn't realized that other people had stayed to watch the fight with the Brothers Grimm, and they could have gotten seriously hurt.

_So what am I supposed to do? _she wondered ironically as she sparred with Mr. Tajiri, her long red hair tied into a ponytail behind her.

_What __**can**__ I do? _

_

* * *

_

"You idiot!"

Percy Grimes snapped at his brother Barton within the mind and body they shared as the Brothers Grimm, who sat impassively as the police wagon took him to the Ravencroft Asylum for the Criminally Insane. _"Why'd you have to go and provoke her?" _

_"Oh, come off it, Percy," _Barton Grimes smirked at Percy. _"I was just trying some new material for the act…does erotic humor really bother you that much?" _

_"She broke our damn ribs!" _Percy shouted at him within their mind. _"She could have killed us!" _

_"No, she couldn't," _Barton rolled his eyes. _"You know what Mom always said-" _

_"-when she wasn't as high as a kite?" _Percy asked in disgust.

_"Yes, when she wasn't as high as a kite," _Barton agreed. _"She said you always have to be willing to suffer for your art." _

_"I don't think this is what she meant," _Percy spat in disgust. _"We didn't even get paid!" _

_"Come now, I thought I said that today was just a rehearsal," _Barton patiently reminded his brother. _"I knew full well that we would encounter a superhero; I was recruiting new talent for the act. After all, what good would we be without a straight man…or this case a straight woman?"_

_"You mean…" _Percy moaned.

_"But of course," _Barton smirked. _"We've found the perfect comedy partner…Spider-Woman will be available for opening night, I assure you." _

_(__**Next Issue: **_Mary Jane Watson finds herself caught between Marie-Ange Colbert and Felicia Hardy at school, and is once again faced with some unfortunate considerations in her conversations with her mother and her cousin Kristy. As a result, Spider-Woman is plagued by doubt and confusion, but she has little time to dwell on it, as she is confronted by the raging human inferno known as Firebrand! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #5: Burning Man!) _


	5. Burning Man

* * *

Mary Jane lay on her bed that Sunday night, studying diligently for final exams as she considered the events of the last few days. Apparently her mutant powers were greater than she had initially suspected-the injuries she had suffered in her battles with Blizzard, the Brothers Grimm, and Will O' the Wisp had healed with astonishing speed. Then there was the way the sticky, adhesive dough that the Brothers Grimm had thrown at her proved unable to stick, as it harmlessly slid off her body.

As she stood up to stretch and take a break, Mary Jane decided to try another experiment. Applying first scotch tape, then glue, then duct tape, and finally even her own webbing to her skin, Mary Jane found that they all slid off and lost their adhesive properties as soon as she wished it. Nothing, it seemed, could stick to her skin unless she wanted it to. She raised a bemused eyebrow at this, before vaguely remembering her high school biology class, and how the teacher had mentioned that spiders managed to avoid getting stuck in their own webs by means of special secretions-apparently she released secretions of her own that repelled adhesives.

_Unfortunately, that's all it can keep from sticking, _Mary Jane thought ruefully. _Too bad it doesn't work on whatever else you might be stuck with, and you can't get rid of…_

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #5

"BURNING MAN"

* * *

The next morning, Mary Jane came into Drama class, taking off the thick coat she wore as she came to sit down at the desk.

"Hiya, MJ!" Mary Jane heard a cheerful voice greeting her, as she turned around. She smiled as she saw Kitty Pryde, Journalism major and intern at the _Daily Bugle, _who came down to sit next to her. Kitty moved to hug Mary Jane, before she passed right through her and stumbled briefly, before righting herself. Kitty was a mutant, gifted with the ability to pass through solid objects, a talent she called "phasing". Despite the difficulty many mutants faced in society, Kitty's kind heart and exuberant nature had won her many friends at Empire State University.

"Hello, Kitty," Mary Jane greeted her with a half-smile. "You're in a good mood this morning."

"Come on, how could I not be?" she grinned. "There's just a week left before holidays! I'm going home to see Mom and Dad and-what's wrong?" she stopped as Mary Jane involuntarily winced.

"No, no, it's alright," Mary Jane shook her head. "I'm just stressed about finals, you know," she lied.

"Oh," Kitty nodded. "Too bad we missed you at the club on Saturday-Randy and Flash were both hoping you'd be there. You've been pretty busy lately?"

"Have I ever," Mary Jane sighed. "Have you figured out who you're doing to do for your monologue as part of Final exams?"

"That's easy," Kitty grinned. "I'm going to do Florinda, from Aphra Behn's _The Rover," _she chuckled. "How about you? You would have made a great. We should have done a duet…"

"Your masked sister?" Mary Jane raised an eyebrow. "Sure, it's tempting, but I've been practicing as Portia, from _The Merchant of Venice, _for a while now, so I'm going with that," she finished as their professor came into the room.

* * *

"Of course, this is the parallel between the theater and real life," Mary Jane listened to her professor lecture the class. "We all step into and out of certain roles as we must, we all put on masks and become new people-we change with the light, so to speak. That's your task for this assignment-to find a new mask, a new role to step into, that simultaneously reflects an aspect of who you are. Try to think about how the role you choose reflects an aspect of your personality that you might keep hidden, or is otherwise important to you."

Mary Jane sat impassively in her seat, looking around at her classmates, before finally staring intently at a mirror leaning on the far wall.

Even she was unsure of exactly what she felt at the moment.

* * *

"So, I'm going to-" Kitty started as she caught Mary Jane after class, before a loud, piercing laughter interrupted her, causing Mary Jane to being trembling in rage.

"Lady Macbeth?" Felicia Hardy scoffed as her catty friends laughed out loud behind her. "I thought you'd be Bozo the Clown, what with the way you dress!" she cackled at Marie-Ange Colbert, blocking Marie-Ange's way as she tried to proceed down the hall. Marie-Ange reddened in humiliation, but she said nothing, looking away in anger.

"That dirty…" Mary Jane began, breaking away from Kitty and marching over to the argument, Kitty following behind her.

"Oh, and what would you be, Felicia?" Mary Jane demanded heatedly. "A reject from _The Taming of the Shrew?" _

"Don't you ever get tired of this, Watson?" Felicia rolled her eyes. "Of being a total idiot, I mean?"

"Says the girl stupid enough to make it with Harvey Broxtel in high school," Mary Jane snorted in disgust.

"You…you…" Felicia began, trembling with rage.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it, Felicia?" Mary Jane spat.

"This isn't over, Watson," Felicia spat. "Believe me, this is **far **from over."

Spitting at Mary Jane, she quickly turned around and walked off down the hall.

"Are you alright?" Mary Jane asked Marie-Ange, who had stood silently watching their exchange, as her voice took on a much softer tone.

"Piss off, Watson," Marie-Ange spat venomously. "How many times do I have to tell you to mind your own business? I don't need your help, and I don't need your pity," she scowled, before pushing past her and setting off down the hallway as Mary Jane remained behind, confused and nonplussed.

"Uh…MJ?" Kitty asked hesitantly, coming up behind Mary Jane. "What was that all about?"

"Felicia and I went to Midtown High together," Mary Jane muttered, looking at the floor as she accompanied Kitty out of the building. "She's always been a bitch…and she **always **manages to set me off like that," Mary Jane finished, sighing in frustration.

"Just let it go," Kitty advised her. "She's probably just baiting you…"

"I can't, okay?" Mary Jane spat, her temper rising again. "I…just…can't," she said, shaking her head vigorously. "Besides," she said quickly, "how do you cope with it? All the crap you must have to put up with, being a mutant and all."

"It's hard," Kitty sighed. "Sometimes I get so angry, I think of trying to join Magneto's Acolytes or the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants...but then I realize I'd just be giving bigots like Graydon Creed more ammunition for their sick crusade. But, really, when I have friends like you, and Gwen and Peter, in a way it doesn't matter. Sure, I'm a mutant, and you guys are all baseline humans, but you all treat me like a person, not a freak. As long as I have that, what else do I need?"

They walked in silence for several minutes.

"What was it like, though, being a mutant?" Mary Jane finally asked again. "I mean, you wake up one day, and then you find you have the ability to…well, whatever your powers are. In your case, it's phasing. How'd you deal with it?"

"I never really thought about that," Kitty said after a moment's thought. "I don't even know what I felt for a while…fear? Confusion? Happiness? It took me a while to get used to the idea, and even longer to figure out what to do with them."

"…So what did you do with them?" Mary Jane asked. "Weren't you contacted by the X-Men, or something like that?"

"I didn't really want to get involved in all that," Kitty shook her head. "I want to be a journalist, a theater and film critic, you know? That's why I'm working at the _Bugle _right now. Maybe phasing isn't the most useful power for it-" she couldn't help but laugh as she walked through a park bench, "-but that's what's more important to me right now than any kind of mutant politics. I'm not ready for anything like that yet-I'm not going to get involved just out of spite or something like that."

Mary Jane visibly flinched.

"You okay?" Kitty started in concern.

"Yeah…yeah, I am," Mary Jane lied, shaking her head. "Just thought I had to sneeze for a second."

"She just gets under my skin," Mary Jane said to Kristy and Maddie that afternoon at Aunt Anna's place. "I…I just can't help myself whenever I hear that screeching, catlike voice…"

"I doubt anyone can blame you," Kristy said dryly, as Maddie managed a small smile. "What's with that Marie-Ange chick, though? She doesn't sound too grateful for your trying to stick up with her…"

"I don't know," Mary Jane shrugged. "She had a pretty rough time of it in high school. She and Felicia were always at each other's throats back in the day."

"Really?" Kristy asked. "What was it like?"

"Marie-Ange was always one of those quiet, studious types," Mary Jane replied, "and she always had her nose in a book. Didn't pay too much attention to her wardrobe or anything like that, either. All that got her on Felicia's bad side, and she just began picking on her day after day after day…it was horrible. I wish I'd done more to try and stop it…" she sighed. "Then again, Harvey would probably have tried to kill me," she realized grimly.

"Harvey?" Kristy prompted.

"Harvey Broxtel," Mary Jane informed her. "He considered himself Felicia's boyfriend, everybody else would probably prefer the term 'stalker'…"

"How's that?" Kristy wondered.

"Harvey came from this rich upper-class family. His parents tried sending him to Midtown High to try and teach him some humility, but it turned out to be a big mistake…"

* * *

_"Parker!" Harvey Broxtel roared down the hallway at Peter Parker. With his powerful build, athletic physique, and thick black hair, he easily towered over the skinny science student commonly known as 'Puny Parker' for his lack of muscles and athletic talent._

_"Were you looking at Felicia in gym class today, Parker?" Harvey bellowed in his face. _

_"N-no...I…" Peter began, paralyzed by fear. _

_"Are you calling me a liar?" Harvey snarled, his voice low and thick with menace. _

_"I wasn't looking at her!" Peter protested. _

_"I'll teach you to call me a liar!" Harvey growled, pinning Peter against the lockers with one hand while balling the other into a fist._

"That dirty-" Kristy began.

_"Hey!" Harvey shouted at the man in the Red Sox jersey as he walked towards Times Square. _

_"What?" the man, obviously an out-of-town fan from Boston, asked in reply. _

_"Why the hell are you wearing that piece of shit jersey?" Harvey demanded. _

_"Because I feel like it," the guy spat. "Piss off." _

_It was, of course, only after the Boston fan turned his back that Harvey jumped him. _

"Oh God-" Kristy gasped.

"He had a second-grade concussion, a dislocated collarbone, and about six broken ribs when Harvey was done with him. It didn't help that he refused to file charges because he worked for a company that Harvey's parents owned a rather large part of."

"That dirty-" Kristy began.

"It gets worse," Mary Jane said grimly.

_"Come on, babe," Harvey grinned, as he tried to drag Liz away from Harry at the school dance. "Don't you want to dance with a real man?"_

_"Get lost, Harvey!" Harry spat at him, as he tried to push Harvey away, only to be shoved hard and sent stumbling back several feet. _

_"Let's do it, sweetie," Harvey smiled, as he tried to pull Liz away. "They're playing our song." _

_"Excuse me?" Liz said, trying to pull away from Harvey. "I don't want to dance with-"_

_"I didn't give you a choice, bitch!" Harvey shouted. As other students began taking notice, he raised his other hand to strike Liz. Fortunately, Harry came over and grabbed his arm, causing him to release Liz and turn to punching Harry in the face. As Harry fell back and landed on his back, Harvey raised his foot to stomp on him, until Mary Jane came up between them. With an expert twist of her feet, she tripped Harvey, sending him to crash heavily on his back as Liz helped Harry stand up. _

_"I'll fucking kill all three of you!" Harvey roared, as a number of other students started advancing on the scene, determined to prevent any fights from breaking out. _

_"That's it, man," Flash Thompson ordered as he shoved Harvey back into the arms of some of his football teammates, who were acting as security for the dance. "You're gone." _

_"You think you can scare me, you fag?" Harvey spat, struggling in the arms of the football players. "All I have to do is tell my parents, and-"_

_"And what?" sneered Flash. "Midtown High's counting on me and Hobie to bring home the championship this year," he grinned. "It'd be a pity if he and I decided to quit the team because of whatever shit you try to pull. Who do you think the teachers are going to listen to more…the asshole new kid who thinks he can run things because of daddy's money, or the school's top athlete?"_

_"This isn't fucking over!" Harvey yelled as he was bodily dragged out of the school gym and thrown out into the mud outside. _

Kristy only turned pale as Mary Jane continued.

_Detective Kris Keating, of the New York Police Department, was a generally hard-edged cop, often given to griping and complaining. One thing he never, ever complained about, however, was paying taxes, particularly when those tax dollars went to pay for the martial arts lessons and batons given to police officers. _

_As the masked man charged at Detective Keating, it took all the detective's training to block the baseball bat, spiked with nails no less, that the thug swung at him, with his baton. He struck back hard, catching the man on the side of the head and knocking him down, before he spun around and smashed another man in the face. _

_The second man, also wearing a strange mask, fell back and collapsed, as a young woman lunged at him with a knife. With a back-and-forth swing of his baton, Detective Keating knocked the knife out of the girl's hand and knocked her senseless. _

_After handcuffing the three masked thugs and radioing for backup, Detective Keating went over to examine the victims of the home invasion, whose screams had somehow managed to alert him as he passed through the neighborhood on his way to meet with a police informant. They were alive-barely-but their faces and bodies were livid patches of bruising and scabs, and Detective Keating shuddered as he called for an ambulance. _

_Livid, he whirled around and unmasked the three thugs, one after another, before recoiling in shock at the faces he saw underneath. _

_"I'm gonna have your badge for this, you son of a bitch!" one of the men shouted at the detective. _

_"You…you're Gary Broxtel's kid," Detective Keating stammered in horror. _

_"Got that in one," Harvey rolled his eyes. _

_"What the hell are you…" Detective Keating began. "Why the hell did you do this? What did these people ever do to you?"_

_"He snitched on me," Harvey snarled, indicating one of the two badly beaten teenage boys, the son of the home's owners, who groaned and rolled over, gripping the edge of a couch as he tried to stagger to his feet, before going pale and falling down onto it, his face white with fear. The other unfortunate victim, as Keating would later find out, was simply an unlucky friend who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. _

_"He…beat me…" the young man said in a daze. "He wouldn't stop…laughing…" _

_Incredulous, Detective Keating whirled around back at Harvey. _

_"You think I give a rat's ass about a peon like him?" Harvey sneered. "I have the right to beat on him, goddammit!" _

_"And I'm sure your new cellmate will be saying exactly the same thing," Detective Keating said quietly, as he saw the flashing lights out front. _

_Harvey's angry shouts and cursing threats echoed for blocks around as he was thrown into the back of the police car. =_

* * *

"…Yikes," Kristy finished when Mary Jane completed her last anecdote. "What the hell's that guy's problem, anyway?"

"I'm not even sure I want to know," Mary Jane muttered in reply.

"Marie-Ange and Harvey both sound like they've got some serious anger management problems," Kristy commented.

Mary Jane paused for a long moment, looking at Kristy intently, before her gaze shifted over to her mother, who merely sat in silence.

She found herself shaking her head vigorously, before downing the rest of her tea and pouring a fresh cup.

* * *

"So what's this guy's story?" one of the prison guards asked the other as they waited for the convict they were supposed to be escorting.

"He's on his way to Attica," one of the other guards answered as two more of their fellows emerged, dragging Harvey Broxtel with them. "Heard he got into fights with a lot of other inmates, sent a couple of them to the hospital, provoked a riot, shit like that. Spent most of his time in solitary confinement."

Harvey Broxtel was uncharacteristically quiet that afternoon, letting himself be pulled along by his guards. Perhaps it was a reaction to his being told he was going to Attica Prison, perhaps it was an internal reflection on his seething temper and violent mood swings.

More likely, however, it was his waiting for the right moment.

Harvey Broxtel had become notorious on Ryker's Island among the prison staff and his fellow inmates, but more than that, he had become feared, so much so that several staff members had agreed to provide him with special dummy shackles that appeared solid, but from which Harvey could easily free his hands and feet.

As an added bonus, the shackles remained as solid and heavy as any real chains, and as such made ideal-and vicious-weapons when swung.

Harvey laughed hysterically as he climbed behind the wheel of the police wagon meant to take him to Attica, and took off like a bat out of hell down the road, screaming through downtown New York. Loud screams, screeches and honking sounds were heard as people and vehicles scrambled to get out of Harvey's way, producing a horrific racket that only made him laugh all the louder.

One large truck, marked with the logo of Roxxon Industries on the side, couldn't get out of the way fast enough, its driver wary of igniting the canisters of alternate-energy experimental plasma he carried as cargo. Harvey didn't bother to alter his path to get out of the way of the truck, only continuing to cackle like mad as he stomped down on the gas pedal, grinning wickedly as he continued straight on.

Shouting and cursing, the driver of the Roxxon truck could only curse and slam on the brakes, before scrambling out of the cab and running for dear life.

His ducking into the concrete office building saved his life, but it didn't keep him from shuddering as the explosion of the truck as it collided with Harvey's police wagon shattered the windows and doors around him and spat a gout of flame into the building, setting everything around it on fire.

Through it all, he was sure, the truck driver could hear Harvey Broxtel's insane laughter.

* * *

On her way home, Mary Jane walked as if she was in a fog, her mind swirling with images of her father, her mother, Kristy, Kitty, Harry, Liz, Blizzard, the Will O' the Wisp and the Brothers Grimm. Her face was set in stone, as her eyes glittered with something between anger and confusion. She could not tell just why she was in such a foul mood, even as her thoughts shifted to the supervillains and petty criminals she had captured so far as Spider-Woman. As she did so, she felt a sickening tension rise up within her, even as her pace began to quicken.

The screams were the first thing that jolted Mary Jane out of her reverie, and she quickly turned to see the towering flames a block away, as well as the wails of sirens as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze. She also heard a chilling laughter on the breeze, that somehow echoed above the flames and the sirens, and made a cold shiver run down her spine as she tried to recall where she had heard that laughter before.

And yet, almost unthinkingly, she found herself running for an alley, taking only a few seconds to change into Spider-Woman and hide her clothing and backpack. Her previous mental turmoil was completely forgotten as she began wall-crawling to the roof of the building and leaping down to where the flames were burning.

She was confronted with a horrifying sight-in the midst of the burning buildings and flaming wreckage, stood a figure from which the fires were emanating, igniting everything around him as he laughed hysterically. Spider-Woman noted, much to her own amazement, that the man was clad in a suit of yellow metal that had, for lack of a better word…_**melted **_into his skin and become fused to his body, with the metal plates on his thighs and arms scorched a bright red. A twisted facemask, assembled from several broken shards of metal and fused together in a jagged, disturbing pattern, from behind which two bright golden eyes glittered.

Swinging down into the middle of the street, Spider-Woman sprayed her webbing over as many of the flames as she could, smothering and extinguishing them before she smashed open a city bus caught in the wreckage, allowing its passengers to escape before the flames reached the bus's gas tank. The metal-clad man whirled around, his laughter suddenly ceasing as he saw Spider-Woman.

_"What do you think you're doing?" _he demanded in a crackling, rasping voice, menace creeping into his voice as he suddenly began radiating an aura of flame around his whole body. _"Are you getting in the way of my fun?" _

"F…fun? You call this fun?!?" Spider-Woman spat in disgust and horror, even as she extinguished more of the flames with her webbing. "Wh…what are you?"

_"Call me…Firebrand," _the metal-clad figure smirked. _"And of course it's fun to watch these lowly peasants squirm. That's all they're good for." _

"You sick-" Spider-Woman began, as she released a double sting blast at Firebrand. Hearing the sounds of fire engines behind her, Spider-Woman realized she had to keep this lunatic busy so the firefighters could put out the flames.

Firebrand's body radiated fire as he sprung into the air, wreathed in a fireball, flying above Spider-Woman's sting before coming down at her like a flaming meteor. Spider-Woman somersaulted out of the way, before dodging the hand-held fireballs Firebrand flung at him and coming at him with a double flying kick. Firebrand was knocked back as she made contact, but Spider-Woman screamed in pain as her feet were burned by Firebrand's red-hot chest plate.

_"What's the matter?" _Firebrand rasped in amusement. _"Am I too hot to handle?" _Bursting into laughter again, he joined his hands and created a long jet of fire that the limping Spider-Woman barely dodged, before shifting upwards and blasting the building behind her. Already weakened from the earlier flames, a wide part of the building collapsed, dropping a large pile of flaming hot wreckage on Spider-Woman. Slowed by her burned feet, she was unable to get out of the way in time before she was buried.

All Firebrand did was burst out laughing once again, before he turned his attention to the firefighters trying to put out the blazes he had started.

_Lazy, bloated civil servants, _Firebrand grinned as he conjured another ball of flame. _I'm going to enjoy-_

The first bits of flung rubble caught Firebrand off guard, before he whirled around to be hit in the chest by another piece of debris, wielded by Spider-Woman as she swung it at him on the end of a webline. As he staggered back, he was struck by Spider-Woman's sting blasts, before she webbed up another piece of rubble and swung it like a flail, driving him back before she snagged him with a webline to keep him from getting too close to the firefighters.

Firebrand's eyes suddenly began to glow brightly, as he took to the air, flames burning brighter than ever. Livid with rage, he threw a massive spear of fire at Spider-Woman, who barely dodged it, before he threw several more fireballs, all of which she barely managed to avoid. Finally, his fury rising even higher, he came down at Spider-Woman like a blazing comet. She barely managed to spin a web-shield to defend herself as Firebrand smashed into her, his flames creeping around the web shield to singe her as they crashed into another building, setting it ablaze before Firebrand drove Spider-Woman into a wall and smashed up through the ceiling and onto the roof. With a commanding view of the surrounding neighborhood, Firebrand poured out his rage, setting businesses and homes on fire, his hatred of everything he saw around him fuelling the flames.

* * *

It was all Spider-Woman could do to get to her feet as she struggled to put out the fires around her and drag out the occupants of the burning building. Her entire body stung abominably from the burns she had suffered, and every footstep made her feel like she was walking on hot coals. She barely felt the pain, however, as she leapt from floor to floor, smothering the flames with her webbing before lowering people safely to the ground. Outside, she heard the screams of victims and the shouts of fire and ambulance crews, and wasted no time in ushering the people she had rescued into their arms.

Firebrand's cries caught her attention, however, and she immediately leapt for the roofs once again, and saw the flaming maniac setting the rest of the block afire as he continued to focus his powers. If anything, he was hotter than ever now, and Spider-Woman found herself sweating profusely as she came up behind him, hitting him with another double sting-blast as he came around, before reeling him in with a webline and hitting him with a large piece of concrete. Quickly spinning another web shield as Firebrand stumbled on the roof, Spider-Woman repeatedly struck him with it, before almost knocking him over the edge. Catching him with a webline before that happened, Spider-Woman struck him with another sting and began webbing him up, hoping to smother his flames long enough to knock him out.

All she managed to do was fuel Firebrand's anger, and his flames began burning hotter than ever as he tried to sear through her webbing. Radiating flames from his feet, he took to the air, dragging Spider-Woman into the air as she hung on determinedly.

_"I'm done with you, bitch!" _Firebrand roared, as Spider-Woman found herself nearly passing out from the heat. She barely felt herself swung around by Firebrand, and came back to a crashing reality as he slammed her into the side of a building. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she stubbornly held on to the web line as her own anger began to rise. Thinking quickly, she looked around and saw a fire hydrant below her. Blasting it open with a sting blast, she sent a tower of water rocketing upwards, briefly cooling her before it came up at Firebrand.

Of course, Firebrand had anticipated someone trying something like that, and so he spun around to get out of the water's path.

Just as Spider-Woman had expected. Leaping off the side of the building, she swung Firebrand up and around, catching him by surprise before he could steady himself, before slamming him into the street. As he struggled to stand, dazed by the impact, Spider-Woman repeatedly blasted him with her electric sting, before he finally staggered and collapsed.

At that moment, Spider-Woman felt like doing the same. As her adrenaline slowed, she felt a terrible exhaustion creep into her limbs, even as the pain of her burns and bruises became all the more evident. She had developed a greater resistance to injury from her mutant powers, but the pain left her dizzy and stumbling.

Taking a deep breath to focus herself, she turned to the task of helping the fire and rescue crews, as much as she was able. Her webbing continued to smother the flames, and she continued to help evacuate trapped citizens, but she was shocked and horrified by the sheer amount of damage Firebrand had caused before she had stopped him. The villain's fires had consumed three, maybe four, city blocks before the fire crews could get them under control. Eight people had been killed, and nineteen more were on their way to the hospital with burns or smoke inhalation.

Staggering back to retrieve her street clothes and schoolbag, Spider-Woman somehow managed to make her way home, ignoring the looks she received in the street or from her fellow tenants as she made her way into her apartment and crashed limply down on the bed. In her daze, she was vaguely aware of feelings of joy, anger, relief, sadness, and pain as she drifted into sleep.

In her mind's eye, however, she involuntarily replayed the sight of burning homes and flaming businesses, with Firebrand alternately laughing or screaming into rage, which seemed to only make his fires burn all the stronger. The angrier he got, the hotter he got, it seemed. She wasn't sure who he was-it would have been hard to distinguish anyone under all that twisted metal, much of which seemed to have melted and fused to his flesh-but the vague sense of familiarity only heightened her anxiety.

What she did not understand, however, was why her thoughts continued to return to Firebrand's temper and the destruction he had wrought with his fiery powers.

Nor could she tell why she felt a sudden chilling tension crawl over her at the same time.

_(__**Next Issue: **_The dangers posed by costumed criminals seem trivial by comparison when Mary Jane receives some very subtle, but very clear, threats from her father Phillip about Maddie Watson's divorce proceedings. As Mary Jane searches for a solution to her problem, she bears witness to the increasingly ugly confrontation between Marie-Ange Colbert and Felicia Hardy…All this and more in _Spider-Woman #6: Luck of the Draw!) _


	6. Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here

She stared out into the darkness, unbothered by the howls of the wind or the pitch blackness of the night that seemed to shift as if it had a mind of its own.

On nights like this, the woman realized, especially in a place like this, there seemed to lurk a strange, unnerving feeling, waiting and watching in the background. There was something **wrong **about nights like these, disturbing and unknown, that seemed to follow its victims like a tangible presence, stalking them soundlessly, never there when they turned around, never quite visible, although it always lurked in the back of their minds.

Such realizations would have disturbed most people, but the woman in question was Doctor Karla Sofen, psychiatrist in residence at the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane. Located in the Massachusetts countryside on the border with New York State, well away from the residential areas, the Institute housed some of the most perverted, sadistic, and dangerous criminals in the country, especially those supervillains captured by New York's heroes. Dr. Sofen was one of the mental health professionals tasked with attempting to decipher the often crazed, disturbed and very ill residents of the Institute, treating their mental illnesses in an attempt to cure them.

Most of the psychiatrists on Ravencroft's staff were austere, middle-aged professionals who were guarded in their responses and typically conventional in their treatment, but Dr. Sofen was quite different. Her beautiful face and golden hair, as well as her comparatively young age, usually surprised patients and staff alike when they met her for the first time. Few of the Institute's residents were used to dealing with a professional of Dr. Sofen's appearance, and were frequently more apt to open up to her and speak more freely, a tendency Dr. Sofen quite readily used to her advantage.

Turning away from the window at the sound of a burst of sobbing, Dr. Sofen stared impassively at the nearest cell door, raising an eyebrow at the sound of Typhoid Mary screaming from within. Mary's crying prompted Dr. Sofen to check her watch-her shift had just begun.

It was time to go to work.

* * *

SLEEPWALKER/SPIDER-WOMAN HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

"ABANDON HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE"

* * *

Dr. Sofen was admitted to the cell of her first patient for the evening, who did not stir as she entered his cell, followed by a pair of large, powerfully built orderlies. To an observer, it would seem as if the orderlies were quite unnecessary, as the cell's inhabitant seemed quite harmless, thin and frail as he was. Clad in a straitjacket and kept blindfolded at all times, he did not move for hours at a time.

Eventually, however, the orderlies removed his blindfold and straitjacket to reveal a chilling sight. The patient was a frail young man, almost skeletally thin, with ink-black hair that sprouted from his skull in thinning patches. His dead-white skin was stretched over his bones, seeming as if it would tear any time he bent his joints. The young man walked with a strange, shambling gait resembling a marionette, and it appeared as if his bones would rattle as they walked. His eyes were like those of a dead thing, black pits sunk into the back of his skull, alternately simmering or blazing with their own inner fires.

"And how are you today, Mr. Gruber?" Dr. Sofen addressed the young man as he sat down in a chair opposite her.

"I would prefer to be addressed as the Bookworm," Nelson Gruber said flatly, staring intently at Dr. Sofen, his eyes wide open and glowing brightly.

If Dr. Sofen was the least bit unnerved by the Bookworm's staring at her, she did not show it.

"You did not answer my question," she responded.

"Akin to Heracles, upon being deprived of kingdom, of love, of hope before the beginning of the Labors," the Bookworm stated coldly. "Lost and adrift, like Odysseus, with no end in sight to my travails or ever a hope of seeing my beloved again. Kept in darkness, restrained against my will, imprisoned in a hellish castle by those I thought nearest and most beloved to me, in the same fashion as Monte Cristo. Thirsting for vengeance against the demon that took from me my light, my existence, all I held dear, in a similar manner as Beowulf."

Dr. Sofen wrote something down in her notebook, as the two orderlies looked at each other, each wondering at the extent of the Bookworm's insanity.

"Need I remind you that you are blindfolded to keep you from reading anything you may write, whether it be in your blood, or anything carved into the padding of your cell, and that your arms are restrained to keep you from writing?" Dr. Sofen calmly reminded him. Despite his name, the Bookworm did not actually need a book for his powers to function, as simply being able to read writing on the wall or in a dirt floor would suffice for his purposes. Kept restrained, blindfolded, and barely able to move, the Bookworm was prevented from reading at all, save when Dr. Sofen or another specialist came to see him.

"Here you are queen, are you not? Or perhaps a duchess?" the Bookworm narrowed his eyes, which ceased shimmering and began to smolder instead. "One of several lords and ladies of the manor, with all power within your hands?"

"And you were a king before your capture by Sleepwalker, were you not?" Dr. Sofen stated as much as asked. "You had your little kingdom, over which you were master and ruler, and now you've lost it all, imprisoned and punished, your fate in the hands of another?" Dr. Sofen began, raising an eyebrow.

The Bookworm's eyes flared with rage and he stood up, as the orderlies stepped forward. Eventually, however, he shuddered and sank back into his chair, putting his face in his hands.

"Nonetheless, your powers, your abilities to make fantasy into reality, to take back control and make it your own, suit you very well, it would seem," Dr. Sofen noted, writing in her notebook once more. "They provide an essential outlet for you."

"And you propose to offer me succor with your analysis?" the Bookworm finally asked, rousing himself after several minutes of sitting in silence.

"I'm making observations," Dr. Sofen said calmly without looking up. "Including, may I say, that your victimization at the hands of the bullies who tormented you as a child provided the locus for your…subsequent actions to this point."

The Bookworm flinched visibly, staring daggers at Dr. Sofen.

"To be entirely at the mercy of someone else, to have them exert power over you, to have them take control of your very life...such experiences can be exceedingly traumatic. Hence, then, your seeking of power, and the uses to which you put your paranormal abilities. Is this, then, why you refer to yourself as king and ruler, indeed master of life and death, always attempting to expand your control?"

"And what is the purpose of this observation?" the Bookworm hissed, barely controlled rage creeping into his voice.

"An academic interest," Dr. Sofen replied, closing her notebook as she stood up, nodding for the orderlies to put the Bookworm back into his straitjacket and blindfold. "I had always wanted to analyze Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, but my alternate studies here at Ravenscroft have proven just as fruitful, in more ways than one."

After binding the Bookworm, the orderlies followed Dr. Sofen back into the asylum's hallway, shutting the Bookworm in his cell, back into darkness.

The next cell that Dr. Sofen and her orderlies visited contained a powerfully built black man in his early thirties, with closely cut black hair and bright brown eyes. His arms were manacled with the special restraints, created by Stark Enterprises based on one of Reed Richards' early inventions, used to block out the abilities of the super-powered criminals who were made to wear them. While supervillains with no special powers could be incarcerated in a typical prison such as Attica, villains that possessed actual superhuman abilities needed special restraints to keep from using their powers to escape from prison.

The black man stood up and grinned widely as Dr. Sofen entered the room, pulling up a chair to sit down across from him. He gave a loud wolf whistle, and growled out loud as she faced him.

"Hello, hot pants!" the man leered in a Texas accent, before his face shifted to an expression of disgust and embarrassment.

"What the devil is the matter with you, Ernie?" he suddenly snapped, shifting his voice to a refined, intellectual voice. "Your disgusting manners degrade us all! Surely you could claim to be a Southern gentleman, and afford this lady the proper respect she merits!"

"You **do **realize that Ernie isn't a gentleman, don't you Ray?" the man suddenly switched his voice to a Hispanic accent, rolling his eyes and laughing. "Remember when we were stationed in Germany? He kept some of those brothels in business all by himself!"

"Shut up, all of you!" the man suddenly barked, his voice taking on a hard New York accent. "Ray'll do the talking," the man explained to Dr. Sofen.

"Hence why you are referred to as the Chain Gang," Dr. Sofen nodded. "Four 'linked' personalities, all sharing one mind, voice and body."

"Due to exceptionally unfortunate circumstances," the Chain Gang sighed in his 'Ray' voice. "Our various indiscretions led us to be surreptitiously experimented on by our government, and when our powers at first failed to manifest, we were dishonorably discharged and cast aside like so much refuse, hated and spat upon when we returned to our homeland."

"And that is why you pursued a life of crime when your superhuman abilities first manifested?" Dr. Sofen asked, her look thoughtful and pensive.

"You ever read the book _First Blood, _lady?" the Chain Gang muttered, switching to his Hispanic voice again.

"Hector-" the Chain Gang tried to stop himself in his Ray voice.

"Shut up!" Hector hissed. "You ever read the book?" Hector continued.

"I can't say that I have," Dr. Sofen shook her head. "Why do you ask?"

"Don't be fooled by those _Rambo _movies," Hector snickered, a cynical half-grin crossing the Chain Gang's face. "They throw shit at you, call you a baby-killer…can't get a job parking cars in this fucking city…this from people who're never at risk of getting their heads blown off. Mind telling me how else we're supposed to make a living?"

"The fight isn't over!" the Chain Gang suddenly shouted, his voice shifting to the "Ernie" personality. "You think we can just turn it off, like a fucking switch? We were gods, and then we were reduced to digging through garbage like rats! **Rats!**"

"That's when our powers kicked in," the Chain Gang immediately calmed, as his strong, decisive New York voice kicked in. "I was the only one who survived, I got the powers-to press thirty tons, to teleport anything I touched, to drain the life and energy out of anything I got my hands on, to control almost any type of energy and energy signals I wanted…that's all we got left," Willis Hayworth said darkly. "It's all we can do, you know, but we set the tone this time. You fuck with us, you better be ready for a war."

"Sleepwalker was the first one to do it," Hector laughed. "Hell, anyone, Spider-Man, Wolverine, the Ghost Rider…that's the great thing about the world we live in…there's a new enemy, a new war around every corner, more booty to take...in more ways than one, if you get my drift," he sniggered.

"Must **I **be the only civilized one here?" Ray sighed.

"How fascinating," Dr. Sofen said after listening to the Chain Gang's four voices converse. "This violence, which has led to the circumstances whereby you acquired your abilities, has come to define your whole life. You are attached only to your comrades in arms, and have come to define everyone around you as the enemy, save for the only men you felt you could trust."

"Hey, we're still alive, lady!" Hector protested. "Well…more or less, at any rate," he grinned. "I suppose we're lucky we ended up with Willis's body-he was the good-looking one anyway."

"And besides, we don't need to see you as the enemy," the Chain Gang grinned in his 'Ernie' voice. "You're a doctor…you make house calls?"

"For fuck's sakes Ernie, will you just shut the hell up?" Willis yelled. "Look, lady, you really think you're gonna cure us?"

"I think many things," Dr. Sofen replied enigmatically. "Suffice it to say that your experiences, and your reasons for your becoming a supervillain, have proven to be of the highest interest in my…research."

"Research?" the Chain Gang asked suspiciously in his Willis voice.

"I hope to publish my findings very shortly," Dr. Sofen said matter-of-factly as she stood up to leave, her orderlies following her as they locked the Chain Gang back in his cell.

After leaving the Chain Gang alone, Dr. Sofen proceeded to visit several more of her patients, chatting with them briefly in the daily visits she was prescribed to make, going further and further into the asylum with each new visit.

Finishing with her regular duties, she dismissed her orderlies and walked slowly towards an elevator at the rear of the hospital, passing through a number of security checkpoints by showing several different forms of identification. Retinal scans, handprints, personalized security code entries and more, all supervised by heavily armed Guardsmen in suits of powered combat armor, were passed through by Dr. Sofen as she finally came to a heavily guarded and reinforced security elevator of titanium steel, entering into it and typing in a top secret security code that took her down into a secret basement of the asylum.

Somehow, Dr. Sofen knew that the wind had picked up outside, howling as if in agony and in pain.

* * *

The basement was constructed of solid reinforced concrete, adamantium and titanium steel, with a thick layer of vibranium to insulate against the energy abilities and kinetic powers many of the residents possessed. This basement, heavily guarded by Guardsmen at every checkpoint, was the maximum-security wing of the asylum, where the most dangerous, horrific villains were kept. Residents here included the sentient electrical field ZZZAX, the gamma-spawned monstrosity known as the Abomination, the hired assassin known as Sabertooth, and the serial killer known as Blackout, as well as many of the more mundane, but no less evil, criminals and murderers. No expense had been spared in keeping these monsters under lock and key, away from those they would harm.

Dr. Sofen headed for one particular cell, kept behind a seven-foot-thick steel door that would make most bank vaults look flimsy, flashing her ID to the Guardsmen standing watch as they opened the door to let her in. The inside of the cell, like all the others, was heavily padded and reinforced to prevent escape attempts.

The cell's lone resident was bound with heavy titanium and adamantium chains, securely bolted to the floor and fastened in such a way so as to make it almost impossible for the prisoner to move. With his arms and legs pulled behind him in an exceedingly awkward-looking and painful fashion, the prisoner was kept twenty-four hours a day in a stance that would have been excruciating for most humans…except that the authorities weren't even sure if this thing could be called human at all.

His wild orange hair, bone-white skin, wide, skull-like face, insane green eyes, greenish teeth as long as a man's finger, the fin-like growths on the side of his head, the twin lengths of bone sprouting a series of vicious-looking spikes across his torso and down his back, and the smaller spikes and thorns sprouting from every part of his body all contributed to his ghoulish, inhuman appearance. The entity known as Psyko, defeated by the superhero known as Sleepwalker some weeks before in a battle that raged across New York City, had been kept confined in this cell without even a trial, so dangerously uncertain were the authorities of even what the thing was and what it could do. None of the other psychiatrists would even go near it, even with the special power-blocking restraints fastened to it, until Dr. Sofen had recently volunteered to examine it.

"_Visitors at last!" _Psyko leered in a rasping, hissing voice as Dr. Sofen came into its cell. _"After the time I have spent with you all…following you…getting to know you…coming to understand you…coming to care for you…being your reflection…your past…your present…your…future?" _He laughed at this. _"At last, I am repaid for my kindness with the blessing of your presence." _

Dr. Sofen merely stared back at Psyko impassively.

"What are you?" she asked the thing in front of her.

"_I am what you see before you," _he smiled, exposing his fangs.

"And why are you here?" Dr. Sofen continued without missing a beat, writing something out. "What is it that motivated you to commit your crimes?"

"_Tell me, Doctor," _Psyko began. _"Are you aware of the monsters under the bed? Of the boogeyman, perhaps?" _

Dr. Sofen only raised an eyebrow.

"That is your response?" she asked. "And yes, I am quite aware of such phenomenon."

"_How does it feel, to be pursued by a stalker and realize that you'll never escape? That you are being watched, followed, no matter where you go, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide? That your fears will always be able to seize you, no matter where you are? That, try as you might, you will not be able to escape me, and that you and I will always be together? That you cannot escape the violation that is to come, that I will always be able to find you?"_

"What are you asking, exactly?" Dr. Sofen wondered, raising her eyebrow.

"_Why do I exist? Why do you exist? Why do any of us exist?" _Psyko continued. _"Whether it be my prey, or my 'brother', the one who gives my life meaning and takes it away, all have asked these questions. Why do nightmares torment those who have suffered? Why do the innocent suffer from fear, paranoia and madness? I am all these things. I am you. I am everyone. That part of them they cannot acknowledge, the hidden fears, the nightmares they cannot escape. I am all these things and more…much, much more. I am part of a cycle that continues ever more…"_

"So you see yourself as bringing nightmares to people? Is this what you do with your power?" Dr. Sofen asked thoughtfully, as the Guardsmen behind her couldn't help but shudder.

"_I am the mirror of the soul, Doctor," _Psyko grinned. _"I see what is hidden, I expose it to the light. I see the evil within, the pain, the suffering and the horror. What else would I do with such…power?" _

"Power?" Dr. Sofen began.

"_The use of power fascinates me…some who have great powers do so to protect and aid others, others use them solely for personal gain, and still others actively spread misery and suffering. I see it all, I see it even now as I speak. What would any of us do with such power, if we were to attain it? I know what I am, I see it all around me…but why, then, do so many humans use their powers for what some call evil?" _

"And what led you to think these things?" Dr. Sofen wondered, writing intently in her notebook.

"_All time, in its passing, reveals the truth in turn," _Psyko rasped, before he began sniggering as his body convulsed, making his chains rattle loudly. _"My true face has come to be revealed, my gifts reveal the truth of all, most particularly my brother. I see everything, past present and future, all that will be life and death. Do you not see it, Doctor? See what these people have done with their power, what it has led to, and what it has caused?" _

"I know it quite well," Dr. Sofen replied, rubbing her chin in thought.

"_But is the quest for knowledge ever completed? Can we ever know all there truly is to know? Particularly when we have the capacity to bring the truth to light, to see those hidden truths for ourselves, the things no one could ever know?" _

Dr. Sofen stared intensely at Psyko for several minutes, before she finally spoke again.

"Well, that's certainly a lot to think over," she nodded. "You are, I must say, an interesting case."

Dr. Sofen and the guards soon left, sealing the cell and leaving Psyko alone in the dark once again.

The monster began to laugh, a chilling sound that echoed through the darkened cell and seemed to resonate through the whole of the asylum, searing into the minds of the listeners, sending chills down the spines of even the most hardened killers.

It was everywhere and nowhere, both heard more than sensed and sensed more than heard.

"_I'm coming for you…brother…" _Psyko whispered to himself.

* * *

Dr. Sofen remained silent and pensive as she continued her rounds with most of her other patients, before finally attending to the last item on her schedule, a new arrival being held in a previously vacant cell.

Arriving at the cell, Dr. Sofen nodded to the Guardsman standing outside.

"What's his name?" she asked brusquely.

"Lloyd Boch, codenamed Moonstone," the Guardsman stated, handing Dr. Sofen the police records. "Apparently he was some sort of terrorist that worked for the Red Skull, got beaten by Captain America, then the Skull tortured him for his failure. Cap rescued him, but by that point he was babbling like a moron and completely broken. Cap brought him here, said he was a danger to himself and others."

"I'll be the judge of that," Dr. Sofen stated as she looked through the files. "Let me in, then, and we'll take a look at him."

The man inside the padded and reinforced cell was clad in a standard prison uniform that seemed at least two sizes too big for him, with power-dampening manacles clamped on his wrists. Tall, fair-skinned and blue-eyed, the man's wild blonde hair and wild eyes, along with the dazed, swaying expression on his face, betrayed a victim of horrific tortures, even without the many ugly wounds on his body to serve as clear indicators of what the Skull had done to him.

Dr. Sofen's eyes widened somewhat, before she sat down, the blond-haired man staring ahead vacantly without even noticing that Dr. Sofen was there.

"Mr. Boch?" Dr. Sofen began gently.

The man, clearly Lloyd Boch, turned to regard Dr. Sofen, his eyes widening as he saw her for the first time.

"Are you…part of the Bone Machine?" he slurred, breaking into a cold sweat as he began trembling.

Dr. Sofen didn't even want to know what the "Bone Machine" was.

"No, I'm here to help you," she said soothingly, patting his arm gently, although he shuddered at the slightest touch. "You were brought here by Captain America, who rescued-"

"Oh Captain, my Captain!" Boch sang out loud, his eyes rolling up to look at the ceiling. "Got to get it off, got to get it off! Source of my pain, hurts so bad!"

"The source of your pain?" Dr. Sofen asked, her voice taking on a piercing, commanding tone. "Do you mean the Red Skull?"

"No! No! Nononononononononononononononono!" Boch babbled, even as a golden gleam of light flashed from underneath his prison clothes. He offered no resistance as Dr. Sofen reached out and pushed open his shirt, and glimpsed what appeared to be a pendant of pure gold hanging from his neck, before it immediately vanished.

"Pure gold…from the moon…the power…oh the power…but the pain…got to get it off!" Boch mumbled over and over again, as the pendant continued to appear and vanish.

Dr. Sofen was glad she had come in alone, as her eyes became fixated on the appearing and vanishing pendant.

"The pain," she said insistently. "Where did it come from?"

"Stole it…from the museum…" Boch muttered, brought into a trance by Dr. Sofen's clear, commanding voice. "Gave…the power…brought pain! Pain from the Hulk…tried to make a name for myself…hired by Red Skull…Captain America! Power brought pain again!" he droned, swaying back and forth slowly.

"I can help you," Dr. Sofen said slowly, her eyes shining brightly. "I can free you of the pain…"

"No!" Boch insisted, hysterics creeping into his voice again. "Pain won't come off! Can't let it go!"

"We'll find a way!" Dr. Sofen insisted. "Together, we'll find a way to get rid of the pain!"

"Help…please…" Boch muttered. "Don't want it…can't let it go…"

Dr. Sofen's eyes became fixed on the pendant as it appeared once again.

_**Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our table.**_

**-W.H. Auden**


	7. Luck of the Draw

Mary Jane Watson slowly opened her eyes as she awoke from sleep, her long fire-red hair flowing around her as she sat up in bed. Glancing over her body, she found that most of her burns and injuries from yesterday's battle with Firebrand had healed, although her feet were still a little tender. She turned around and groaned as she noticed the time on her clock radio-5:37 AM.

_I slept…all evening and through the night? _she realized. _Damn, a night of studying completely wasted…_

A long, cool refreshing shower restored Mary Jane's spirits, before she set about making herself breakfast. After eating and finishing her meal, she went to the door of her apartment and gathered up the _Daily Bugle, _to which she had begun subscribing, mostly to see Kitty's work in the paper. Although she took little interest in politics or sports, or much of anything else the _Bugle _had to say besides its editorials on mutant rights, Mary Jane found herself enjoying Kitty's work in the paper's Arts and Entertainment Section.

Any excitement she may have felt at reading the A&E section was spoiled as she flipped through the paper and stumbled across the article. Headlined **FIRE TRAP,** the article detailed her fight with Firebrand, complete with Eddie Brock's pictures of the flaming wreckage. Disgust turned to anger as she read the article.

_…It appears that Spider-Woman is at least partially responsible for the damage inflicted by Firebrand, as her interference with the work of the police and fire crews hindered their efforts at rescuing trapped civilians and bystanders and increased Firebrand's anger, strengthening his flames and increasing the damage wrought by the villain. In a trend that has become distressingly common in New York over the past decade, Spider-Woman's battle with Firebrand caused further property damage and ruin for many city residents, even as innocent citizens were endangered…_

It was all Mary Jane could do to avoid breaking her kitchen table in two. All the frustration and anger of the past few weeks seemed to return as she took several deep breaths, as her hands trembled and shook. Finally, as she calmed down, tears appeared in her eyes.

They soon disappeared, however, when she recalled the crowd of people trapped in the bus that she had saved upon smothering the bus's flames before they could reach the gas tank, and then smashing it open so they could flee the scene. She recalled the people who had clung desperately to her as she carried them out of the burning buildings, how the parents had made her carry out their children first, before she ran back in to retrieve them, and then taking off to battle Firebrand once again.

Mary Jane had done it all as if by reflex, without even thinking about it.

That realization caused her to lean back in her chair, anger fading as it became replaced by confusion and…relief?

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #6

"LUCK OF THE DRAW"

* * *

Shaking her head, Mary Jane left her apartment and made her way to Empire State University, trying to force herself to concentrate on other things as she made her way to her first class for the day, arriving some twenty minutes before it began-she preferred to get there early to prepare for anything that might come up.

She was snapped out of her reverie by a sudden voice calling her name. Looking around, she saw Randy Robertson, grandson of the legendary journalist Joe Robertson, who had become famous as J. Jonah Jameson's second-in-command at the _Daily Bugle _in the turbulent days of the 1960s, leading the way in the _Bugle'_s fight for integration and the Civil Rights Movement…and incidentally making the _Bugle _the most popular newspaper among New York's Black community.

Mary Jane didn't know Randy all that well, having only met him a couple of times when Kitty had introduced them, as she shared Randy's admiration of his grandfather. She raised an eyebrow as he came towards her, seemingly flustered and nervous, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously.

"Look, uh…Mary Jane...can I talk to you for a moment?" Randy asked.

"Not now," she answered brusquely, waving her hand dismissively. "And whatever your problem is, save it-I have enough to deal with right now without someone else dumping on me," she spat as she headed for class.

Randy didn't respond, his mouth hanging open in astonishment.

Mary Jane suddenly froze, as she felt a wave of remorse fall over her. Turning around, she considered Randy for a moment.

_What's wrong with me? _Mary Jane wondered. _First I blow up at Harry and Liz, and now this?_

"I…I'm sorry," Mary Jane gently apologized as she came back towards Randy, sitting him down on a bench and coming down next to him. "I've just been under a lot of pressure with exams and everything…what's the matter?"

Randy glared at her for a moment, before he calmed down and began speaking.

"Kitty told me you were in Drama, right?"

Mary Jane nodded.

"Well, I could use your help," Randy continued. "I'm doing this movie for Film Studies class, and it's in serious trouble."

"How's that?" Mary Jane asked softly.

"One of the actresses broke her foot, so she's going to have to be in a cast for the next six weeks," Randy groaned, clenching his hands in frustration. "I'm screwed unless I can find someone to replace her-I need to get this thing done by the end of January, and her breaking her foot is going to throw my entire schedule off the rails."

"What's the movie about?" Mary Jane asked curiously.

"I don't know whether Kitty told you this, but I'm really interested in Black cultural history," Randy replied, calming down. "I mean, too many people overlook the social and cultural contributions Blacks have made, from the doo-wop and jazz music that influenced white artists like Elvis Presley and Eric Clapton, to the dancing of guys like Savion Glover and Gregory Hines, stuff like that. I'm really into stimulating that kind of Afro-American pride, you know, by showing just what we've contributed to this country, and to make everyone in general more aware of our heritage and what we've accomplished."

"Alright, but what does that have to do with me?" Mary Jane wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"See, the film is about Broadway tap dancing, how guys like Glover, Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. popularized hoofing and things like that. I cast a couple of black actors and a couple of white actors, to show off the similarities in their styles-but now, like I said, one of the white dancers broke her foot. I'm sunk unless I can find someone to take her place. Kitty suggested I ask you, since you're probably more up to speed on the Broadway scene and know someone I could get as a replacement," Randy explained.

A rare smile crossed Mary Jane's face.

"Hey, I could probably do it," she offered.

"You will?" Randy brightened.

"Sure," Mary Jane nodded. "Hines, Glover and Davis are some of my heroes. I took almost twelve years of tap classes, and I learned a lot about hoofing and similar styles. Besides, if I'm going to have a Broadway career, I can use all the experience I can get."

"Mary Jane, you're a lifesaver," Randy said, looking palpably relieved. "Can I have your e-mail address, so I can send you all the details?"

"No problem," she nodded, as she wrote it down for him. Thanking her once again, Randy walked off in the other direction as Mary Jane made her way on to class, oddly feeling better than she had in quite a while.

* * *

"Isn't your Chemistry exam today?" Ben Parker asked his nephew Peter as they ate the bacon and eggs Ben had prepared for breakfast, sitting at their kitchen table in Forest Hills.

"Not until this afternoon," Peter replied absently, his eyes narrowed as he studied the _Daily Bugle_ intensely_. _Tossing it back, Peter leaned in his chair and stared absently at the ceiling for several moments. Ben looked curiously at Peter, before picking up the newspaper to see what he had been reading, his eyes widening as he considered the article on Spider-Woman's battle with Firebrand.

"Upset that someone's stolen your motif?" Ben asked, as Peter continued to look at the ceiling.

"…Peter?" Ben tried again.

"It's strange," Peter finally muttered to himself.

"Strange?" Ben repeated. "You've got someone stealing your moniker, and that doesn't-"

"Something doesn't make sense about her," Peter continued, still staring at the ceiling in intense thought.

"Like the fact she apparently can't find an original gimmick?" Ben asked half-humorously.

"…I don't think she can," Peter finally answered, as he closed his eyes and came back to face Uncle Ben.

"How do you mean?" Uncle Ben wondered, confusion slipping into his voice.

"Her powers are so similar to mine, in many ways," Peter explained. "She's got superhuman strength and agility to match my own, the ability to stick to walls, her own webbing. I'd have to do an analysis to compare her webbing to my own, but there are two hypotheses-either she's devised a web formula of her own, or her webbing is naturally produced."

"Could she have stolen your formula?" Ben asked, referring to the chemical compound devised by his brother Richard Parker, Peter's brilliant father, which Peter had used as the basis for the webbing he used as Spider-Man. Peter had completed the formula and devised a number of variations for dealing with supervillains as necessary.

"It's possible, although unlikely," Peter shook his head. "If my formula had spread wide enough for someone I've never met to get their hands on it, every criminal in the city would have found a way to counter it. Anyone devising a chemical counter to my webbing would have made a fortune by now. That hasn't happened, so it's pretty clear that isn't the case."

"…So where does this girl come from?" Ben scratched his head. "And how could she possible have powers so similar to yours?"

"That's a good question," Peter frowned, reflecting on the trip to the science laboratory where he had been bitten by the genetically altered spider, an incident that had permanently changed the course of his life. "What happened to me was an anomaly-it's unlikely you'd replicate that unless you precisely replicated the conditions and controlled for variations."

"Don't forget, she's got those electric stings, too," Ben reminded him. "Maybe she's a mutant, or something like that? You've hung out with those X-people, right?"

"Maybe," Peter conceded. "In any event, we don't have enough information to really say for sure. She seems to be on the right side, at least."

"Is she?" Ben questioned that assertion. "From what I heard, she could have hurt a lot of people during that fight she had with Blizzard, and she really beat up that Brothers Grimm character when she broke up his performance."

Peter had no response to that.

* * *

On exiting Drama class that Tuesday, the last one before final exams, Mary Jane and Kitty were confronted with an all-too familiar scene-Felicia Hardy and her cat pack surrounded Marie-Ange Colbert, keeping her pinned up against the wall as she tried to push past them. Mary Jane noticed how pale Marie-Ange appeared, as if she had gone without sleep for several days.

"You know, Colbert," Felicia sneered, "if you're going to go for the pale goth look, you might want to go for makeup. All you're doing is just making those crow's feet of yours even worse."

"She's still good for Drama, though, right?" Sally Avril, one of Felicia's sycophants, set her up.

"Well, I suppose…" Felicia started, "if she wants to get a job as a street mime. I mean, if you already dress like one, you might as well go all the way, right?"

Felicia and her friends cackled out loud, as Marie-Ange clenched her head, sinking to her knees.

"That is it!" Mary Jane finally snapped at Kitty, who looked over at her. "I'm going to knock Felicia into next week!"

So saying, Mary Jane advanced on Felicia and her friends, with Kitty hesitantly following behind. They stopped short, as Marie-Ange finally stood up, and burst out screaming in a rage.

"You've always had it, haven't you, Felicia?" Marie-Ange spat venomously, as people in the corridor stopped and turned to watch in silent amazement. "Always drawn the right cards, always had things come up right. Fortune always smiled on you. Am I right?"

"…What the hell are you talking about?" Felicia finally asked, as Mary Jane stopped.

"If I need to explain it," Marie-Ange replied, her voice becoming as cold as ice, "you'll never understand. Sooner or later, everyone's luck runs out, everyone's time ends…and what happens when the time comes to pay up?" Her eyes glittered brightly, as her skin seemed to get a shade paler.

"Marie-Ange, are you-" Mary Jane finally began, as Felicia and her friends began to back away, while Kitty stood by in mute silence.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Watson?" Marie-Ange spat venomously. "I don't need your help, I don't need your pity, I don't need you, I don't need anyone."

"What do you mean?" Kitty finally ventured, coming up behind Mary Jane.

"I mean I know how the luck of the draw works," Marie-Ange replied, her voice becoming calm as ice. "And I also know how to make my own luck…and what happens when someone else's luck has to balance out," she shifted to a thin smile, staring directly at Felicia.

No one could say anything as Marie-Ange pushed her way past Felicia's stunned friends, past Mary Jane, through the intangible Kitty, and out the front doors of the building.

* * *

"Marie-Ange sounds like she's really starting to lose it," Liz noted to Mary Jane and Kitty as they sat with Harry that afternoon in the cafeteria at the Students' Union Building. "Just how long has this been going on?"

"A year, at least," Mary Jane sighed. "I just wish I'd done something before now…"

"We all should have," Liz said glumly.

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked curiously.

"Back at Midtown High, everyone was always making her life hell. She was always sitting by herself, reading these thick books, dressing really strangely, everything like that. Felicia Hardy was always picking on her. She got it even worse than Peter Parker did," Mary Jane informed her.

"Well, what can you do now?" Harry asked matter-of-factly. "If she keeps telling you to get lost, MJ, that's pretty much all there is."

"I know, but…" Mary Jane trailed off, shifting uncomfortably. "I didn't do anything to help Peter either, or…"

"We all didn't," Liz sighed. "All we can do is learn from it, I guess."

Mary Jane barely noticed as the conversation shifted to other topics, dwelling on the merciless bullying Marie-Ange had suffered.

Mary Jane herself had taken her popularity for granted in high school, although she had gained a reputation as something of an ice queen for her apparently cold and haughty attitude, and her tendency to blow off any and every guy who asked her out, not to mention the fights Felicia had picked with her out of sheer jealousy.

She was suddenly reminded of Marie-Ange's words about the luck of the draw, and she found herself reflecting on that for a long time, even as the conversation shifted to final exams and what they were doing for the Christmas holidays.

* * *

Her eyes cold as ice, Marie-Ange slowly walked down the street, occasionally shaking her head.

_The Lovers…_

Something that was surely bitter irony, Marie-Ange realized. Love could lead to creation…but was creation always the product of love, or simple rash stupidity?

_Temperance…_

Ah, if only temperance was still considered a virtue!

_Justice…_

But what was justice, then, if it were not what she had received?

_The Wheel of Fortune…_

Fortune…was that all it came down to? The luck of the draw? The whim of the cards?

Marie-Ange paused for a moment, the images that flashed through her mind becoming more and more intense, as she felt a whispering beginning to build in her ears.

The luck of the cards, those cards Marie-Ange had cherished for so long, her consolation in dark times…could they be controlled?

A wide smile grew across Marie-Ange's face as the whispering in her ears became clearer.

With her knowledge, and her power, Marie-Ange Colbert could make her own luck.

How, then, could the instrument of shame and sorrow be turned to other purposes, to take the position in life she knew to be hers by right?

Whoever made their own luck, made their own destiny.

* * *

Mary Jane continued reflecting on Marie-Ange's angry departure, and her conversations with Liz and the others, as she came home that afternoon from her Dance exam, before putting the thoughts out of her mind as she sat down to check her e-mail.

The first letter was from Karen Page, Maddie Watson's attorney for the divorce proceedings she planned to launch against Phillip.

_Dear Ms. Watson: _

_Upon further reflection, I believe that we possess a substantial case against your father Phillip. Please advise your mother that I am ready to initiate the proceedings at any time. I understand that you and Ms. Anna Watson are acting on your mother's behalf, and so I have sent a copy of this letter to her as well. Enclosed in the attachment is a draft of the legal brief I plan to file. Mr. Nelson agrees that it would be to your advantage to proceed as soon as possible. Should you agree, I will have the initial papers filed with the courts by the New Year._

_Sincerely Yours, _

_Karen Page,_

_On behalf of Nelson, Page and Murdock, Attorneys-At-Law_

A sad smile crossed Mary Jane's face. Foggy Nelson, Karen Page and Matt Murdock headed the law firm Mary Jane and her Aunt Anna had hired to handle Maddie's divorce from Phillip. The firm took on a wide variety of cases, with Page handling divorces and other civil matters, Foggy Nelson handling high-profile criminal or corporate cases, and Matt Murdock acting as a public defender or otherwise offering _pro bono _legal aid to poorer clients who otherwise couldn't afford legal help.

Returning to her inbox, Mary Jane's blood suddenly ran cold when she saw an e-mail from her father Phillip. Her hands trembling, she could barely move her mouse to open it.

_Mary Jane: _

_I have been informed that you and Anna are advising Madeline to initiate divorce proceedings against me. At the moment, I would consider this highly inadvisable, owing particularly to financial considerations. For the present, you can ill afford the potential costs to your education, in both time and money, that would arise from the complications of a divorce hearing. My own income earning, and by extension your own and Madeline's, would be severely disrupted. I would advise you to thus consider the potential consequences of filing for divorce, that may prove to be infinitely more complicated than you or Anna would at first consider. _

_Sincerely, _

_Phillip Watson_

Mary Jane sat staring at her computer for several minutes, as quiet and calm as a statue, before she shuddered and slumped in despair, holding her head in her hands as she tried to restrain the tears.

_(__**Next Issue: **_Mary Jane is confronted with the dilemma of what to do about her mother's divorce from her father Phillip, even as Marie-Ange Colbert mysteriously disappears. As final exams end, and the Christmas holiday season begins, Spider-Woman finds she cannot rest as she is confronted by the insane cyborg menace known as Polestar! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #7: Polar Opposites!) _


	8. Polar Opposites

"Hey, MJ!" Kristy hugged Mary Jane Watson as she came into the Watsons' townhouse. With final exams over and the Christmas holidays now underway, Mary Jane was coming to stay with her mother, aunt Anna and cousin Kristy until classes resumed in January.

"How have you been?" Maddie Watson asked her daughter quietly as they embraced.

"A lot better, now that I'm here," Mary Jane smiled. "It's so nice to see you again."

"How were exams?" Aunt Anna asked as she came into the foyer and hugged Mary Jane in turn.

"Stressful," Mary Jane sighed, "but I think I did pretty well, all things considered. I even got some acting work," she continued, telling them about the documentary Randy Robertson was filming, and the role she had gotten in it.

"You going to be hanging out with Harry and Liz at all?" Kristy asked her.

Mary Jane was caught off guard by the question for a moment.

"Probably…why?" she finally replied.

"Because I want to see _Harry _again," Kristy sighed wistfully.

A rare smile found its way onto Mary Jane's face, before she burst out giggling.

It was truly good to be home.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #7

"POLAR OPPOSITES"

* * *

"Any news from Karen Page?" Aunt Anna asked Mary Jane as they did the dishes after supper that night.

"She said we have a really strong case," Mary Jane said as she scrubbed a frying pan, "but I'm not so sure we should go through with it."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked in amazement.

Mary Jane told her aunt about her father's e-mail.

"He mentioned how _complicated _it could be," Mary Jane muttered as she handed the frying pan over to Anna and began cleaning the stew pot. "And that it could be far more _complicated _than we originally thought. You can guess what that means," she sighed, her shoulders slumping in frustration.

"Do you want me to tell your mother?" Anna asked, before Mary Jane shook her head vigorously.

"No!" she exclaimed, before calming down. "No, we can't let her know about this, she couldn't take it," Mary Jane insisted. "We'll find a way to get through this…I'll handle it."

"What will you do, then?" Anna asked.

"Whatever I have to," Mary Jane said determinedly, fire in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, as Anna placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

* * *

Lost in thought as she walked into the Coffee Bean, Mary Jane just barely managed to react in time before she bumped into a young woman with neck-length hair dyed a deep black, very pale skin, and dark clothing. The young woman recoiled in surprise, dropping the books she carried in her arms.

Mumbling an apology as she bent down to help the other girl pick up the books, Mary Jane was surprised to recognize the girl as Maguire "Maggie" Beck, a student in her Drama class known for her strange personality and propensity for Goth music. Maggie blinked in surprise as she recognized Mary Jane, quickly putting her copy of _Sleepy Hollow _in her shoulder bag as she got to her feet.

"Mary Jane?" Maggie started, raising an eyebrow. "What brings you here?"

"I'm meeting a friend for lunch," Mary Jane said quickly. She turned to leave, until Maggie caught her by the arm.

"Let me guess…they're not here, are they?" she smiled, as Mary Jane looked around to see that Liz had not yet arrived. "I just got here too-want some coffee until they arrive? I'm buying," she offered with a slight grin.

Shrugging, Mary Jane accepted, getting a coffee and sitting down with Maggie to wait for Liz.

"I really liked your rendition of Portia for the Drama finals," Maggie told Mary Jane. "She's a really strong figure-I probably would have done her if I hadn't done Abigail instead," she continued, referring to the character of Abigail Williams from Arthur Miller's play _The Crucible. _

"Yeah, you were really good too," Mary Jane said slowly.

"Good roles like that are so hard to come by, though," Maggie sighed. "It's just like the superheroes in this city-it's a total sausage fest! That's why I like Spider-Woman so much," she enthused.

"Spider-Woman?" Mary Jane was caught off guard.

"Well, yeah," Maggie grinned. "She gives and takes it as much as any male hero! I mean, why should guys have all the fun?"

Mary Jane only raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure she'd be flattered," she said dryly.

"I'd really like to see her take on some female supervillains, too. It's just as bad with the heroes-why are so many of the biggest villains male? What, like we're not smart or tough enough to compete with the likes of the Green Goblin or Doctor Doom? I mean, there's Mystique from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, that rainbow woman Spectra, and a couple of others, but they're only drops in the bucket," Maggie shook her head sadly.

"The last thing anyone needs is more supervillains," Mary Jane smiled in spite of herself.

"Well, yeah," Maggie said as she finished her coffee and stood up to leave, "but wouldn't it be cool if there really was a kickass female supervillain?" she grinned as she left.

Mary Jane thought on Maggie's words for several minutes, until she was jolted out of her reverie by Liz's voice.

"Hey Liz," Mary Jane said slowly as her friend sat down. "How were exams?"

"Horrible," Liz sighed. "I mean, I think I did alright, but I was about to have a nervous breakdown. How about you?"

"They went alright," Mary Jane replied off-handedly. "But…well…there's something I need to tell you about."

"I'm listening," Liz started. "You know I'm always good for it…"

"I'm just really pissed off at my dad right now," Mary Jane began, her voice taking on an acid edge. "Mom and Dad are going through a really ugly divorce right now, and Dad, well…he's been making threats."

"Threats?" Liz's eyes widened. "Then why don't you-"

"It's nothing illegal…technically, at least," Mary Jane shook her head. "He'll probably try to cut us off financially if we go through with it."

Liz frowned, a pained expression on her face.

"I just…I don't know what to do right now!" Mary Jane continued in frustration, her face a mask of anger. "I hate it, I absolutely hate it, but we still need Dad's money to help pay our bills. I've been having a terrible time finding work recently, and Mom still isn't up to getting back to work herself."

"What's the matter?" Liz asked.

"None of your damn-" Mary Jane began in a fury, before she swallowed hard. "She's just really ill right now. She's been through a lot."

Liz just nodded, her frown getting deeper. To Mary Jane's surprise, Liz seemed neither hurt at her outburst, or surprised at what she was saying.

"Kitty said something about that video you're going to be in with Randy Robertson?" Liz tried to change the subject.

"Yeah," Mary Jane smiled. "I'm really excited-I love that kind of hoofing that he'll have me doing. I love to dance…when I'm up there, it's like the whole world disappears, and it's just me and the stage," she enthused. "I can leave everything behind, and just lose myself in the moment."

"That's what I always wondered about the theater," Liz wondered, "what's it like to just take on a new role like that?"

"It's not as hard as you think," Mary Jane answered. "Putting on a costume and taking on a new role is something we all do at one point or another. You're into Nursing, right? When you put on your uniform, or a doctor puts on his gloves and mask, that's the part of you that takes over, just like with a police officer or a firefighter. Writers step into the minds of their characters, people ranging from professional athletes to politicians put on their 'game faces', thinking about what to say and do. Depending on the costume we put on, we show different parts of who we are."

Liz only stared back thoughtfully.

_**

* * *

**_

That night…

Unless they operated on the basis of alternating day and night shifts, most businesses did not require their employees to be at work at two o'clock in the morning. Even Justin Hammer, well known in the high technology industry as a demanding taskmaster, never went that far.

Looking at Thomas Duffy, technical assistant for Hammer Industries, working alone in the laboratory long after his coworkers had gone home, it would be easy to assume Hammer's employees were on the verge of a perpetual nervous breakdown. Sweat poured down the front of his face and into his bloodshot eyes, which he occasionally wiped away with one trembling hand while taking regular shots from a thermos full of coffee with the other.

Along with the thick layer of stubble on his face, his disheveled clothes and his greasy, unwashed hair were all clear signs of the fact that he had gone three days without sleep, working nonstop on the new high-tech battle suit Hammer Industries had been developing to sell on the supervillain black market. Duffy saw the work on his suit as an opportunity, his big chance to prove himself to his bosses, and he was determined not to let it slip through his fingers.

Working eighteen years in the same job without a promotion or a raise would do that to a man, as would having his wife run off with the television repairman.

Duffy continually muttered to himself as he worked, flinching at the memories that continued popping up...of always being yelled at by his father for not being more like his athletic brother…of always being mocked by his mother for not being more like his academic sister…of never getting the girl…of being overlooked for all the scholarships, no matter how hard he worked…of being turned down for one job after another…of being stuck in the same damn menial job for almost two decades while people a good ten years younger were being promoted ahead of him…

"Better…always someone better…" he muttered under his breath.

This new suit of battle armor, with its magnetic control abilities, was sure to be a hot item on the black market, for groups like HYDRA, the Secret Empire, A.I.M., or the Leader.

Perhaps it would have even earned Duffy the promotion he so badly desired.

On the other hand, it would be difficult to tell, since Duffy had made a serious miscalculation when assembling the final prototype…a miscalculation he did not notice until he had put the suit on to perform some final tests and made the mistake of powering it up.

The resulting explosion of magnetic energy leveled half the building.

* * *

Mary Jane set out for Empire State University the next morning, having promised Randy to secure some rehearsal space for the tap dancing movie he planned to film with her contacts in the Drama department. When she arrived, she was surprised to see the number of cars in the university parking lot, as well as the TV crews carrying equipment into the university auditorium, until she remembered about the fierce debate that was taking place. It about keeping 'Christ in Christmas', or something like that, and how far society should go in adapting the Christmas holidays to new immigrants and cultures.

Mary Jane only shrugged and walked on, as she cared nothing for politics, and indeed only read the _Daily Bugle _for its Arts and Entertainment section and the articles Kitty wrote. On her way to the Drama department, where students and staff alike were taking advantage of the holidays to use the otherwise empty school facilities for their own projects, Mary Jane was suddenly distracted by the loud screams and crashes that came from the auditorium, and the camera crews scrambling over to investigate the trouble.

Once again, Mary Jane found her instincts taking over as she made her way into the nearest building. Finding a washroom, she quickly changed her costume and became Spider-Woman, before leaping out a rear window and making her way back around to the university auditorium.

As she entered, Spider-Woman was surprised by the destruction she saw, a trail of twisted metal and wreckage. Metal appeared to have been ripped right out of the wall, or flung into it with devastating force, as water leaked from destroyed plumbing and live copper wires sparked dangerously, forcing Spider-Woman to step warily as she followed the damage.

The path of destruction led Spider-Woman to a section of the building where Empire State University often hosted displays of precious treasures and museum artifacts when they went on tour. On this occasion, it held a collection of beautiful Faberge eggs and other priceless treasures from the old Russian Empire, gathered just before its fall. No doubt worth a fortune, they were a fine prize for any criminal.

The being Spider-Woman saw looting the displays caught her completely off-guard. It appeared to be clad in a suit of bulky silver-gray armor, with a blood-red torso, thighs and elbows, sheathed in an aura of bluish-white magnetic energy, except that bits of flesh and bone protruded through cracks and holes in the armor. Horrifyingly, Spider-Woman realized that the creature was not simply wearing a suit of armor, but was, if anything, **welded **with it, the armor's circuitry and metal fused completely into his body. Just like with Firebrand, who was clad in plates of white-hot metal shrapnel that had melted into his skin, the armor of this thing, whatever it was, had become fused with its body, creating a monstrosity of flesh and metal that hummed with a life all its own, continually glowing from the magnetic energy it emitted.

"What are you?" Spider-Woman demanded as she fired a sting blast at the metallic thing. The creature whirled around and took the bolt straight to the chest, staggering back with a growl of pain.

_"My name is…Polestar," _the thing rasped, its voice a sibilant hiss somewhere between human speech and the crackling of electricity. _"And you…" _it hesitated, before glancing briefly at the news media already filming the robbery, _"shall die."_

Spider-Woman suddenly found herself dodging frantically as much of the broken metal in the room suddenly rose up all around her, stabbing, slashing and striking at her with frightening speed. Spraying her webbing around to entangle much of the debris, and deflecting the rest of it with her sting blasts, Spider-Woman unleashed a double shot of webbing at Polestar, who simply raised a barrier of metal out of the floor to deflect it. Not to be outdone, Spider-Woman simply charged forward and leapt over the barrier, hitting Polestar hard with a vicious jump kick to the head that sent him staggering back, before subjecting him to a flurry of punches and a double sting blast that sent him flying back to crash against the wall.

She raised her hands for another strike, but was forced to dodge as Polestar used his magnetic power to rip the metal door in the wall next to him right off its hinges and send it flying at her. As she rolled out of the way, Polestar simply brought the door around again, as it slammed her viciously in the back. Stunned, Spider-Woman could only stagger to her feet before the door twisted into a cylinder, almost crushing her before she broke free. Tangling the pieces in her webbing, Spider-Woman swung the whole thing like a flail at Polestar, who rolled out of the way and placed himself between her and one of the camera crews filming the battle. Again raising the metal debris in the room with his magnetism, Polestar quickly dropped it and rolled out of the way as Spider-Woman swung the large metal shards on the end of her webbing at him once more.

Polestar rolled one way, even as the camera crew cursed and scattered. By sheer luck, none of them had been crushed by the pieces of metal Spider-Woman wielded. As they tried to run to safety, they suddenly stopped short, as a sting blast blew a fair-sized hole in the wall just in front of them. Shouting in terror, the camera crew scattered again, as another sting blast struck the wall right where they had been standing.

Web-swinging over Polestar's flying debris, Spider-Woman landed in front of him and viciously punched him into the main foyer of the auditorium, where stunned spectators had gathered to watch the battle. Electrical copper wires erupted from the floor and steel pipes were ripped out of the walls as Polestar focused his magnetic powers, surrounding Spider-Woman with a creeping mass of metal that threatened to engulf her.

With fire in her eyes, Spider-Woman sprayed her webbing in a wide arc around her, ripping the metal debris free and sending flying in random directions, ignoring the loud crashes and the screams of the people who tried to dodge the metal shards she was throwing in every random direction. At first, she barely heard the shouts and curses directed at her, concentrating only on Polestar, who had crafted a barrier for him to defend against her next sting blasts.

"_You appear to be doing more harm than good!" _Polestar taunted her, as he pulled a light fixture out of the ceiling to drop on Spider-Woman. _"Is there nothing you can do to stop me?" _he continued in a mocking tone.

Her eyes suddenly flaring in rage, Spider-Woman caught the light fixture and carelessly flung it off to the side, just barely avoiding striking a young couple who stood in shock. Her next sting blast shattered Polestar's barrier, and blew him back. Taking to the air, he sent the broken shards of metal flying at Spider-Woman before she could dodge, cutting her and drawing blood in several places. She seemed not to care as she took to the air, spun a web and swung up to the ceiling, before she sprang down again and caught Polestar in the chest with a vicious double kick, stunning him and sending him crashing to the ground, as several bystanders ran out of the way. Again ignoring the cries and curses of the people around her, Spider-Woman swung down to floor level and began beating Polestar viciously, until he fell limp in her arms. Shooting a look of pure hatred at Polestar, she threw him up into the air and delivered a vicious haymaker that sent him flying across the room to crash heavily into the opposite wall, before he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Spider-Woman advanced on the unconscious criminal, intending to web him up for the police, but then the bystanders all around her came to block her path.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" one man snapped at her.

"You almost took my head off with that piece of metal you threw!" a woman cursed her.

"You could have killed us!" another man shouted.

Blinking in surprise, Spider-Woman seemed to register the people around her for the very first time. She looked around in amazement at the wreckage all around her, the dents in the wall from where she had thrown the debris, the damage done by her sting blasts, and the shaken, angry people.

Faster than anyone could react, she spun a web and swung out the front doors. By the time anyone could get there to look for her, Spider-Woman was gone.

* * *

Mary Jane took only a few minutes to book the theater space she needed, and managed to avoid the police who had come to arrest Polestar, as well as the media who were in a frenzy over the battle. She walked back to Aunt Anna's home in a daze, silently thinking about what she had been doing since she had decided to put on that costume, the uniform that marked her as Spider-Woman.

One moment she was saving people from house fires and muggings, the next she was putting them in danger with her recklessly throwing things everywhere and firing her sting blasts in every direction while beating supervillains half to death. Guiltily, she realized she had put a number of innocent people in danger with her anger. She had put her costume on, in part, simply because her father hated superheroes and everything they stood for…

"Are you alright?" Kristy asked Mary Jane in surprise as she stumbled into the house. "What happened to you?"

"Where are Mom and Aunt Anna?" Mary Jane asked her.

"Out getting some last-minute Christmas shopping done," Kristy replied. "But what happened to you?"

"I got caught up in that fight between Spider-Woman and that weird magnetic guy," Mary Jane sighed. "I take it it's on the news?"

"You bet!" Kristy said, leading her back to the TV. "The media's going nuts about how much damage Spider-Woman did! It's a miracle that no one was hurt! The people they're interviewing said she was crazy!"

Previously, Mary Jane would have been angry, even furious, with what the people on TV were saying.

But now, she couldn't help but wonder if they were right.

* * *

The battered, broken Polestar sat impassively in the holding cell at the Raft, where he had been taken after the police arrested him to be kept until his trial. He stared intently at the television set in the community viewing room, taking in every detail of the local New York news coverage that detailed his robbery attempts.

_"The name's Thomas Duffy," _he was saying to the reporters, _"but that's Polestar to you," _he spat.

"This your first time?" a tall, thin blond man sitting next to Polestar asked him, gesturing at the television. The man's arms were manacled with the special restraints manufactured by Stark Enterprises, a device used by law enforcement agencies worldwide to prevent superhuman criminals from using their abilities to escape.

Polestar shifted, and fixed his gaze on the man sitting next to him.

_"And you are?" _he asked slowly, his eyes narrowing.

"The name's Electro," the blond man grinned. "People usually don't recognize me without the star mask and the green tights. Like I said, is this your first time?" he asked again.

_"Yes, it is," _Polestar nodded slowly.

"Friendly piece of advice, rookie," Electro began. "It's always toughest the first time. Some guys get in here, or in Attica, they realize they can't take it, and they go straight. You wanna be a supervillain, you've gotta commit to it. If you wuss out, no one'll ever take you seriously as a villain again."

_"I assure you," _Polestar smiled, _"I am more than committed. Indeed, I have already scored the first success of my newly chosen career." _

"How's that?" Electro wondered. "Doesn't look like you got any money…"

_"I received something much more important than mere money," _Polestar rasped.

"What's that?" Electro asked, now genuinely curious.

_"Recognition," _Polestar grinned. _"They know who I am, and they'll never be able to escape that knowledge." _

"Who?" Electro asked.

Polestar only laughed.

_"I mentioned my real name out loud and on the news, didn't I?" _he smirked.

Electro only raised an eyebrow at this.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Mary Jane occupied herself with many different tasks, including Christmas shopping with Liz and Kitty, decorating the Watson house for Christmas, and trying to take a rest from the stresses she faced. Leaving her Spider-Woman costumes securely locked in her bedroom, Mary Jane found herself enjoying the time she spent with her family, being able to put aside her worries about her father, even more so when she saw her mother smile for the first time in a very, very long while. Going out as Spider-Woman proved to be the furthest thing from her mind. Oddly enough, the entire city of New York was quietly muted over the holidays-even the criminals and supervillains had apparently decided to take some time to rest.

"You seem a lot better," Liz said to Mary Jane as they danced at the club that New Year's Eve. "Is it going alright?"

"For the moment, yeah," Mary Jane nodded as they sat down to take a break. Liz was breathing heavily, but Mary Jane was barely winded, owing to the additional stamina she received from her spider-powers. "I'm a lot better than I would have been, considering Felicia's nowhere to be seen."

"She had some sort of private party at her mansion," Liz rolled her eyes. "I take it you didn't get an invitation either?"

Mary Jane just scoffed in reply.

"It's going to be back to the grindstone before too long, though," Liz sighed. "My schedule's packed next semester. How about yours?"

"It's probably going to have to be a little lighter," Mary Jane replied, "since I'm probably going to need more free time for work. I would have liked to get in for that rendition of _Sleeping Beauty _that Alyssa Conover was in, but I was too busy with finals and everything else. The problem is, though, that I've just had a terrible time finding work lately…"

"Haven't we all," Liz said glumly. "Harry's dad said that with the way things are going right now, the economy's going to be in the toilet before long."

Mary Jane suddenly flinched, bluntly reminded of her own potential money problems if her father went through with his threats. Once again her mind began whirling with the images of her battles as Spider-Woman, how she had defeated Blizzard, Will O' the Wisp, Firebrand, the Brothers Grimm and Polestar one after another.

Then, a strange thought passed through her mind, that caught her off guard.

Why hadn't she seen Marie-Ange Colbert at all during final exams?

_(__**Next Issue: **_Mary Jane begins the filming of Randy's tap dancing documentary, even as she is confronted with the dual questions of how to respond to her father's threats, and whether she ought to continue as Spider-Woman. She is forced to put the answers on hold, however, as she is soon confronted by the abductions of the mysterious being known as Tarot! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #8: Written in the Cards!) _


	9. Written in the Cards

"And five, six, five six seven eight!" Randy Robertson called out.

Right on cue, Mary Jane Watson joined in on the tap routine she and her fellow dancers had rehearsed for over an hour and a half before. Clacking and hammering sounds echoed through the theater Randy had booked for the filming of his student film, a documentary chronicling the influence of black hoofers like Gregory Hines, Savion Glover and Sammy Davis Jr. and their influences on modern tap dancing.

Even without her spiderlike speed and agility, Mary Jane would have been among the very best, her feet poetry in motion and moving in perfect harmony with the beat as she left all her troubles behind. For her, the dance studio had been a retreat from the misery of home, and her mother would often stay to watch the classes, even joining in to teach every now and again, as Maddie Watson had been an aspiring actress and dancer before she had met the man who would become her husband.

"…And cut!" Randy finally ordered when he was satisfied with the footage he had gotten. "Great job, ladies! Take five!"

Sweating profusely despite the coldness of the theater, Mary Jane walked back to her schoolbag took a drink of water, before sitting down in one of the theater's seats and stretching her legs in the process. Looking around the room, Mary Jane raised an eyebrow as she caught the number of guys staring at her, most of whom quickly turned in embarrassment when she met their gaze. Sighing, she didn't notice Randy sitting down next to her until he spoke.

"You've got some amazing moves," Randy complimented her. "Have you ever thought of any other types of roles you'd be good at, like _Dancin' _or _A Chorus Line_?" he suggested.

"I'd love to," Mary Jane smiled ruefully, "but there's no way I could get a prominent part like that without some more experience under my belt. I'm stuck in the whole no-job-no-experience cycle right now, you know?" she shrugged.

"You mean how you can't get a job without more experience, but you can't get any experience because no one will give you a job?" Randy asked.

Mary Jane just groaned and leaned back in her chair.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #8

"WRITTEN IN THE CARDS"

* * *

"I'd love more experience in just local community roles…but with things the way they are now, I really need the money right away," Mary Jane said, rubbing her eyes in frustration.

"Well, why don't you try for this off-off-Broadway production of _A Streetcar Named Desire_ that they're running?" Randy suggested her. "You could land the role no problem, I'm sure!"

Mary Jane hesitated.

"Well…you really think so?" she asked slowly.

"Come on, don't be like that?" Randy said, waving his hand dismissively at her hesitation. "It's a paid role, it's a famous play, you'll get plenty of recognition! And besides, what have you got to lose if you don't get it?"

Mary Jane brightened at this.

"You know, you're right!" she finally sat up. "…And Randy?" she asked him as he stood up.

Randy turned around to look at her.

"…Thanks," she smiled at him.

Randy only smiled and winked, giving her a thumbs-up before he turned around again.

"Alright everybody, places!"

* * *

Walking home after rehearsal that afternoon, Mary Jane idly reflected on Randy's words, before thinking of her father and his derisive comments on how she had been wasting his money with her foolish choice of major.

Eyes narrowing, Mary Jane felt surer than ever of her choices.

The smell of smoke on the cold breeze brought Mary Jane to her senses, and before she realized what she was doing, she found herself running towards the source, running two blocks before she finally saw the burning house and the screaming woman outside it. Curiously, the fire department was nowhere to be seen, catching Mary Jane off guard.

Once again, instinct took over as Mary Jane began looking for a place to hide where she could change her clothes, before she remembered that she was not wearing her Spider-Woman costume, and in fact had not worn it since before Christmas. Now, several days into the New Year, she had not even thought of putting it back on.

Shaking her head, Mary Jane simply ran towards the burning house and the almost hysterical woman in front of it.

"What's going on?" Mary Jane asked, grabbing the woman to get her attention.

"An electrical fire!" the woman babbled, half out of her mind with panic. "Fire department hasn't arrived! My mother! Top floor!"

Letting her go, Mary Jane looked around hastily, before she simply kicked the door down and ran inside. Looking around the burning house, she cursed as she saw the stairs in the front hall had given way. As if by reflex, she kicked off her boots and ran right up the wall with her wall-crawling abilities, barely noticing the heat through her thin leather gloves and wool socks.

Looking around the top floor hastily, Mary Jane saw that most of the rooms were empty, save for one that was blocked by falling debris. Kicking it aside with barely a moment's consideration, Mary Jane could make out an elderly woman lying unconscious on a bed, not moving. Making it to the woman's side with a single leap, Mary Jane hastily wrapped the woman in a sack she made with her webbing, her hands weaving almost by themselves as she wove a pair of large straps attached to the sack. Threading her arms through the straps and hefting the woman on her back, Mary Jane darted back out into the hallway and cursed as she saw that the fire had spread to the walls, making them too dangerous to climb down.

Looking around hastily, she saw that the lower walls in the main hallway were still standing, and again she spun a web between them, which she quickly leapt down and bounced off to land safely on the floor, cradling the unconscious woman in her arms to cushion the impact. Using her special secretions, which could repel any kind of adhesive, Mary Jane quickly peeled her webbing off the unconscious woman, draping her over her shoulders in a fireman's carry before she ripped the web trampoline off the wall, quickly burying it beneath debris so it would not be discovered by the firefighters. Stopping only to reel in her boots and slip them back on, Mary Jane finally emerged from the house and handed the unconscious woman over to the paramedics and fire crews who were just now arriving at the house.

* * *

Mary Jane sat on the back of the ambulance, sipping a cup of hot chocolate one of the paramedics had provided for her after she had been checked for smoke inhalation. Finally, after the elderly woman Mary Jane had rescued had been put in a second ambulance and taken away, one of the nurses who remained walked up to Mary Jane.

"I don't know what you were thinking, dear," the nurse began. "But it's lucky you were here."

"How's the old woman?" Mary Jane asked. "And where were you when the fire broke out?"

"Three blocks away," the nurse winced, sitting down next to Mary Jane. "New York traffic is murder, especially at this time of year, when the roads are so bad because of all the snow. The old lady should be alright-just some minor smoke inhalation, again-but if you hadn't come by when you did, I don't know where she'd have been. Too bad the superheroes don't always come by when you need them…"

"Pardon?" Mary Jane asked, her mug pausing in midair as she looked askance at the nurse. "You actually like superheroes?"

"Well, yes!" the nurse laughed. "Everyone just sees the property damage and injuries that can be caused by superhero battles, but what most people don't realize is that things would be a lot worse if the villains were able to get away with what they had planned. Most of those psychopaths will just as easily hurt innocent bystanders just for laughs! Believe me, I know," she shook her head sadly.

"But what happens when the heroes get out of control?" Mary Jane said, shaking her head in confusion.

"It's a problem, true," the nurse agreed, "but they need to remember something a very wise woman once told me."

"A wise woman?" Mary Jane asked.

"A lady by the name of May Parker, a nurse like me. Bless her soul, she was a saint-treated the patients like they were her own children-until she was killed by a burglar who broke into her house. Spider-Man caught the burglar, but there wasn't anything he could do for poor May…"

Mary Jane just looked at the nurse in surprise.

"Anyway, what May always used to say was, that with great power comes great responsibility. Too many people, good and evil, forget that sometimes," the nurse finished. "Now, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I am," Mary Jane smiled. "Thanks for the hot chocolate."

"And thank you, child," the nurse said gently. "You've got a bigger heart than you realize, running in like that to help that poor woman out."

As she walked home, Mary Jane found her thoughts continually leading back to the words of that…May Parker, was it?

Mary Jane suddenly felt better than she had in weeks.

As she returned to her apartment and went to go to the bathroom, she was astonished as she saw herself in the mirror. Singed and smoking, her outfit absolutely ruined, Mary Jane looked down at her hands, and then quickly took off her socks, astonished by the mild burns she had suffered.

She had run into the burning house without thinking, used her spider powers without thinking, been injured without thinking, all to save that older woman.

For perhaps the first time in her life, Mary Jane Watson did not know how to react.

* * *

Once again wearing her Spider-Woman costume underneath her clothes, Mary Jane sat with Liz in the Coffee Bean the next afternoon, noting with concern how harried and stressed Liz now seemed.

"I haven't seen him for weeks, MJ," Liz fretted as she downed another latte, her shoulders slumped in frustration. "Harry hasn't signed up for any classes, and he disappears for weeks at a time, meeting with some strange men!"

"What's he doing, exactly?" Mary Jane queried.

"I don't know, he just says it's some sort of 'special project' that he's going to use to pay back his father for some reason," Liz shook her head. "He just seems so angry at his dad…"

Mary Jane could not hold back a scowl at this.

"And he won't talk to you?" she asked Liz.

"No," Liz replied sadly.

"Well, if you can't get him to talk, maybe I can give it a shot," Mary Jane answered. "I've had some issues with my own dad-maybe he'll open up to me a little more?"

"Thanks, MJ," Liz said with a sad smile. "You're a true friend, you know that?"

"I…am?" Mary Jane blinked, trying to hide her surprise. "What…I mean…"

Her confusion was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash as the front window of the Coffee Bean was smashed in. Standing just outside the broken window was a sight that was bizarre even by the standards of modern New York-a large chariot pulled by a pair of lion-like creatures with wings (sphinxes, Mary Jane realized they were), with a small, slender figure all in black robes, with a white hood and cloak, billowing towards the black. Ignoring the confused yelling of the patrons around it, the figure pointed directly at Mary Jane and Liz, as the sphinxes roared and charged into the restaurant, as people scrambled to get out of its way.

Liz screamed and tried to run, as Mary Jane stepped up to defend her, wondering how she might do so without giving away her secret identity. It was a moot point, however, as the figure riding the chariot merely gestured and another strange figure seemed to materialize out of thin air, this time of a tall man dressed in medieval armor and wings, carrying a large trumpet. Before Mary Jane could react, the winged man blew the trumpet and unleashed a horrible blast of sound that knocked Mary Jane and Liz off balance, stunning them as the winged man again vanished and the sphinxes gathered the two women up in their arms. Paralyzed with horror, none of the other patrons could even move to stop the bizarre entities as they took to the air, with Mary Jane and Liz unconscious in their arms.

Recovering from the sound blast after a few seconds through her resistance to injury, Mary Jane was shocked to see herself rising into the air, clutched in the hands of the black sphinx drawing the chariot. As she struggled to free herself, realizing she had to change costume immediately, the sphinx growled and tried to keep her restrained, until she punched at it and sprayed a glob of her webbing in its face, causing it to howl and drop her. Now regaining consciousness, Liz screamed as she saw Mary Jane fall.

As she tumbled towards the ground, Mary Jane saw the cloaked figure staring at her impassively, before it contemptuously nodded once and directed the chariot further into the sky, with Liz still firmly in its grip. Having timed the sphinx to release her over one of the many tall trees on the Empire State University campus, Mary Jane's spiderlike agility allowed her to twist her body so she managed to catch the branches and swing herself into the tree, before quickly climbing down to the ground.

Looking around, Mary Jane realized in frustration that the mysterious chariot had disappeared once again, until she suddenly felt that same strong, overpowering urge she had experienced before, when she had been trying to track Liz and Harry after the Brothers Grimm had abducted them. Looking around carefully, she managed to fight off the urge long enough to sneak into the nearby athletic center and quickly change her costume, before she took off again as Spider-Woman, webswinging in the direction her senses were urging her.

_What's wrong with me? _she wondered as she swung towards the outskirts of the city. _Is this some sort of spider-sense I have, or something? _

Spider-Woman then realized that the last time she had heeded this strange sense, it had led her straight to her friends, and she otherwise had no idea which direction the chariot had taken Liz, so she had nothing to lose by following it.

* * *

When Liz regained consciousness, she found herself securely bound and tied to what seemed like a single pole, but was in fact part of a bizarre framework of almost two dozen poles, all linked together by horizontal wooden beams, forming a wide circle around the chariot, the sphinxes, and their bizarre owner, who sat impassively, completely wreathed by its hood and cloak. Tied to each pole was another person, most of whom, to Liz's amazement, she recognized from Midtown High. On either side of her, screaming and thrashing to be let go, were Felicia Hardy and Sally Avril, Felicia's main sycophant and yes-woman.

"What happened, Felicia?" Liz called, getting her attention. "How did this happen?"

"We were kidnapped by some rampaging lion-thing!" Felicia shrieked. "It knocked out our friends, took us to this fucking place! Doesn't that asshole realize how cold it is out here?!?" she yelled, gesturing with her head towards the cloaked figure, who now turned around to face them.

Slowly, the cloaked figure reached up and pulled back its hood, revealing a strange, rounded white mask that completely covered its head. As it stared at the girls, Liz was certain that whoever was behind the mask was smiling.

"I trust that the Hanging Man has made you all comfortable?" the figure laughed triumphantly in a female voice. "Whether it be the Strength, the Chariot, or the Justice, all have brought you here to bear witness to the revelation of my power…"

"The hell do you want with us, bitch?" Sally yelled, her piercing voice cutting through the confusion echoed by the rest of the prisoners. "Why'd you kidnap us?"

"This is an exercise in justice," the masked woman said harshly, her voice somehow amplified. "I am the avatar of the spirits, their channeler and master. They have come to me, to repay your kindnesses in full!"

"Who are you?" Liz called in amazement.

"I…we," the woman began before correcting herself, "are Tarot. We are one, heirs to the power so long denied…"

"What are you going to do with us?" a man called out from the crowd, whose voice Liz oddly recognized as that of a former teacher from Midtown High.

"As we had previously said, we will exact…justice," Tarot began, speaking slowly and coldly. "We have the power, and we will use it."

* * *

Spider-Woman swung down between the trees, following her "spider-senses" (what else could she call them?), when she was caught off guard by a roaring blast of sound that she barely noticed in time. Dropping her webline and rolling to the ground, she came up only to see three bizarre figures come almost out of nowhere-a large, humanoid lion, a man in medieval armor carrying a large broadsword, and a second man in armor, this one with wings and a trumpet in his hands, the being Spider-Woman recognized from the Coffee Bean.

Looking around in alarm, Spider-Woman instantly leapt into the air as the lion-man and the swordsman charged at her from different directions, but was blown over and crashed heavily into the snow as the winged man took flight and struck her with his horn, which seemed able to emit horrible blasts of sound. The lion-man and the swordsman came at her as she staggered to her feet, again coming at her from different directions. Rolling out of the way of the lion's claws, Spider-Woman caught the sword of the knight in her hands as he swung it at her in a downwards stroke, before twisting them so the sword broke. As the knight recoiled in surprise, Spider-Woman kicked him viciously in the gut and punched him in the face as he stumbled, knocking him out cold.

Had Spider-Woman remained to look at the knight, she would have been surprised to see him vanish into thin air, but she was too busy dodging the blows of the lion man and trying to strike back. Forced to dodge out of the way of the trumpet-bearer's next blast, Spider-Woman could not avoid the lion man as he caught her and tore at her arms and her back with his claws, causing her to scream in pain as he caught her up in a vicious bearhug. The arachnid heroine struggled to break free, but realized to her horror that the lion possessed superhuman strength far beyond her own, and he held her tightly in his grip and he brought his fanged mouth forward to tear her throat out.

Thinking quickly, Spider-Woman placed her hands directly against the lion's body and fired her sting blasts at point-blank range, causing it to howl in agony as it released her. Catching it with a webline, Spider-Woman began spinning in place, sending the lion whirling through the air. Like an athlete throwing the hammer, Spider-Woman finally let go after building enough momentum and sent the lion slamming into a nearby tree with a sickening crunch, before she dodged the next sound blast coming from the winged trumpeter.

Firing sting blasts at the winged man as she dodged his sound blasts, Spider-Woman finally lowered the winged man to a gap between two tall trees. Before he could escape, Spider-Woman quickly wove a thick web anchored by the trees on either side, before blasting him out of existence with a double sting blast. Looking around in surprise, she saw that the humanoid lion had vanished as well. Even checking the tree where he had crashed into after she had released him, Spider-Woman found no tracks leading away from it.

With the rush of battle fading, Spider-Woman suddenly found herself seized by that strange sense of urgency again, that again led her to leap into the air and begin webswinging from tree to tree to find and rescue Liz.

* * *

Liz stared in amazement as she saw Tarot begin twitching and jerking as if she was having a seizure, screaming in pain for no apparent reason. Immediately, the sphinxes attached to her chariot turned around and began to comfort her, even as a man, long and slender and clad in a medieval jester's outfit, suddenly seemed to materialize out of the wooden framework that Liz and the rest of Tarot's prisoners were tied to, before running to her side.

Baffled as to what was going on, Liz suddenly felt her bindings fall loose, as she dropped to the ground. Looking around in amazement, she saw Spider-Woman blasting people free of their bindings with her electrical sting blasts, who immediately scattered and began running. Running along at a remarkable speed, Spider-Woman blasted the people free one at a time, and before Tarot and her bizarre attendants could recover, almost all of her prisoners were freed.

"Damn you!" Tarot screamed in a rage, as the jester-dressed man scowled and the sphinxes roared. "Was it you that interfered with my justice?" she shouted over the screams of confusion and the melee of fleeing prisoners.

"You mean your kidnapping!" Spider-Woman shouted as she leapt into the air and used a web to swing off the wooden framework, instantly felling the jester-clad man standing next to Tarot with a sting blast. Again, Tarot recoiled in agony as she suffered some sort of reaction to the jester-man's demise. Before she chanted and gestured once more.

"You brought this on yourself, Spider-Woman," Tarot said darkly, as a reddish haze began to form in the air next to her and materialized into a hideous monstrosity. More than seven feet tall, with a brownish-red hide the color of dried blood, the thing had large batwings sprouting from its back, cloven hooves, and a horned bull's head that spat fire. Roaring in rage, the devilish creature spat a fireball at Spider-Woman, who barely managed to dodge out of the way.

"Kill them all, Devil!" Tarot screamed, as she cracked the reins of her chariot. "Chariot, away!" Improbably, the sphinxes snarled in response and took to the air, dragging the chariot bearing Tarot behind them as the Devil spat several fireballs at the fleeing hostages, Spider-Woman barely managing to save them by catching them with her webs and quickly dragging them out of the way of the flames. Finally, as she spun a web-shield to defend herself, she tagged the Devil with a sting blast to distract it. As the creature whirled around angrily, Spider-Woman deflected his next fire blast with her shield, before giving him a full on double shot of her webs to tie the creature down. As it thrashed in a rage, its powerful leg muscles sprung and it took to the air, ripping free of the ground before Spider-Woman's webs could set and spitting its fire at her.

Deflecting the first blasts with her web shield, Spider-Woman was forced to let her guard down to once again pull a passerby out of the way of one of the Devil's fireballs, and left herself wide open to a full on blast from the monster, as it came crashing down to the ground and slammed into her with a bull charge, driving her up against a tree and tearing free of her webbing.

As the creature pinned her against the tree, preparing to set it on fire with its flaming breath, Spider-Woman hit it in the face with a sting blast, distracting it long enough to break free of its grip and roll away, catching it with a webline and spinning it through the air the same way she had the humanoid line, before leaping into the air and slamming the creature down with every ounce of strength she could muster, driving it through the snow to leave a massive crack in the ground.

Catching her breath as the Devil finally vanished, Spider-Woman looked around and saw the lights of approaching police sirens-evidently one of the hostages must have had their cell phone with them when they were abducted. Realizing she was no longer needed, Spider-Woman spun a webline and took off, making haste to return to Empire State University to retrieve her clothes and schoolbag.

* * *

There were times when New York City police detective Jason Phillip Macendale really fucking hated his job. Never happy about being assigned to the department's Superhuman Activities Unit, he had grown progressively angrier about the superhumans that had seemed to spring up in his city like weeds, and the accompanying chaos they seemed to bring with them.

"So let me get this straight," he rolled his eyes. "You're saying a bunch of freaks that come out of a damn storybook kidnapped you and brought you into the woods, where this lady in a hood and mask said she was going to exact 'justice' on you all?" he snorted.

"What, you don't believe us?" one of the kidnap victims was telling him, as more police arrived to bring the people home.

"So, care to explain how you escaped?" Detective Macendale sneered. "Did a knight in shining armor come riding along and slay the big bad dragon?"

"No, the knight was one of the bad guys," the kidnap victim looked at him strangely. "It was Spider-Woman that saved us. Weren't you listening the first time?"

It took all of Detective Macendale's willpower not to lay into this idiot for talking back to him. Taking several deep breaths, Macendale comforted himself with the knowledge that he would have made the man's life hell in the military. In some ways, Macendale preferred the military-you didn't have to deal with these civilian pussies talking shit about you while you couldn't do anything about it.

That was what Macendale had liked about machinery when he was a military technician. It never talked back to you, and always did exactly what it was told.

* * *

"Oh, Mary Jane! Thank God you're alright!" Liz said as she hugged Mary Jane, who emerged from the athletic center in her street clothes as soon as Liz had returned to Empire State University. "How did you survive that fall?"

"I landed in a tree," Mary Jane grimaced. "Got some pretty nasty scratches out of it too," she winced, exposing the long scratches on her arms.

Liz just shook her head.

"What could that Tarot person have wanted with us?" she wondered, describing the kidnapping to Mary Jane. "She didn't ask for any money, she just said she was going to get 'justice' on us all…"

"Justice?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Liz answered. "I don't know what she'd want with you, me, Sally Avril and Felicia Hardy, along with a bunch of other people from Midtown…"

Mary Jane suddenly turned pale.

"Oh God…I think I might know who's responsible for this," she groaned.

* * *

Still reeling from the effects of the destruction of her creations, Marie-Ange Colbert dismissed the Chariot and removed her mask and costume, sneaking into the back door of her home and trying to ignore the smell of the alcohol as she snuck upstairs. Annie Colbert was already asleep surprisingly early in the day, even for her. Marie-Ange didn't even have to go into the living room to realize that her mother had already downed all the gin in the house, and would probably want her to go on another beer run before too long…

Scanning the mail Annie had left on the kitchen table, Marie-Ange nodded as she glanced over her father's alimony checks. Working two jobs out of state, Jean-Jacques Colbert sent much of the money home to support his wife and daughter…not that Marie-Ange could truly blame him for not being able to look either of them in the eye, given that he'd been reduced to marrying the woman he'd gotten pregnant by mistake

Nor could she truly blame her mother for her heavy drinking, either, which explained why Marie-Ange hadn't included her in the kidnappings she had directed her "friends" to orchestrate as Tarot. As she struggled with another coughing fit, Marie-Ange was bitterly reminded of just why her mother had begun drinking, and why Dad was stuck out of state, sending back money to pay for support. Medical bills were expensive, after all, and most people couldn't pay tuition and the expenses of their sick children at the same time.

Her precious cards, her charms, her love of the mysterious, the magical and mystical, had been her rock, her anchor of support all through the years of school, particularly high school…Marie-Ange felt sick just remembering those years…and it continued at the hands of that bitch Felicia Hardy and her catty mob in university, even while Watson, Little Miss Popularity, was trying to get rid of her guilt.

Marie-Ange just snorted at the idea.

When the dreams had begun, the tales of the Empress, the Sun and the Moon, the Tower, the Hanging Man, the symbols of the tarot cards she so cherished, appeared in her mind, telling her of the power she could command as their bearer, their gateway to the real world. She could bring the power of the cards to life, gifting them with amazing abilities that defied anything she had ever seen, abilities that were hers to command.

While reflecting on this, Marie-Ange recalled what her father had told her that with great power had to come great responsibility.

_Really? _Marie-Ange wondered to herself.

_Then why did no one live up to their responsibilities to me? _

With a scowl on her face, she sorted through her tarot cards, recalling the identity she had taken for herself. In all likelihood, someone would have noticed the similarities in all the people she had abducted, and she would have to go on the run…

_But it doesn't matter, _she realized as she began gathering supplies. _I can destroy them one at a time…show them the true power of my friends…_

_…destroy them one at a time…_

_…and Spider-Woman most of all. _

_(__**Next Issue: **_Mary Jane begins to try and track down Marie-Ange Colbert, even as she is confronted with the equally difficult decision of how to respond to her father Phillip's threats. To make matters worse, Mary Jane must simultaneously deal with the increasing pressure Harry Osborn finds himself under, even as the Will O' the Wisp returns to confront Spider-Woman! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #9: Blinded By the Light!) _


	10. Blinded by the Light

"Come on, Harry!" Mary Jane Watson insisted, knocking on the door to Harry Osborn's apartment for the seventh time. "I know you're in there, so will you just let me in already?"

She had been knocking on Harry's door for almost ten minutes, having gone down to his place at Liz's request to try and find out where Harry had been disappearing to, and why he no longer seemed to be attending classes. All Liz had been able to tell her was that Harry just blew her off when she called, telling her he had no time to meet with her. Hurt and angry, Liz had taken up Mary Jane's offer to try and talk to Harry and see what was going on.

Finally, Harry flung the door open in considerable irritation, an ugly look on his face as he glared at Mary Jane.

"What the hell do you want?" he finally demanded. "I have-"

"-a girlfriend who's been a saint in putting up with your bullshit," Mary Jane said calmly but firmly, struggling to keep her own temper in check. "Look, whatever it is, you owe Liz an explanation, at least."

Harry paused for a moment, his expression softening briefly.

"Fine, then get in here," he finally muttered, letting Mary Jane in and slamming the door behind her.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #9

"BLINDED BY THE LIGHT"

* * *

"So what the hell do you want?" Harry demanded as he sat down in a chair, gesturing for Mary Jane to sit down across from him.

"Look, Harry, Liz is worried sick about you," Mary Jane said, once again trying to keep her temper under control. "You haven't contacted her since before Christmas. So what's so important that you drop off the face of the earth and don't even contact your girlfriend?"

"What business is it of yours?" Harry sneered, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"Because Liz is my friend!" Mary Jane snapped, unable to keep an edge from creeping into her voice. "Harry, she was kidnapped by a fucking supervillain last week! Why the hell didn't you return her calls? You're her boyfriend, for God's sake!"

Even as she spoke, Mary Jane winced inwardly-this wasn't going the way she had hoped at all.

Harry turned pale, before he became crimson with anger, sitting in silence for a moment.

"You have no goddamn idea what I'm going through, Mary Jane!" Harry finally shouted at her. "I have enough shit to put up with without getting the third degree from you, of all people!"

"Well, can't we help you?" Mary Jane asked, fighting to keep control of her voice. "What's the problem, anyway? If it's your father, then I know-"

"Don't even start, Mary Jane," Harry spat in disgust. "Little Miss Ice Queen finally feeling guilty about her subjects?"

Now it was Mary Jane's turn to go pale.

"Wh…what?" she fumbled. "Harry…If it is about your father, then I-"

"No, you don't!" Harry shouted at her. "You think you know, Little Miss Perfect? You think you know what it's like to have that bastard yelling at you day after day after day, telling you you're a disgrace to the family name, threatening to throw you out on the street if you don't shape up? You think you know, with your perfect hair, perfect looks, perfect clothes, perfect fucking life?"

"Oh, and **you **know what I'm going through?" Mary Jane finally lost her temper. "You're not the only one who's had to put up with these problems, Harry! And some of us don't just run and hide from them like a fucking coward! How about trying to find enough money to stay in school? How about trying to find a bloody job? How about trying to keep your mother from losing her mind? You ever have to put up with that?" she shouted right back.

"I know enough to keep to my own goddamn business!" Harry shot back. "What's with you, anyway? Always too good for everyone in high school, and now all of a sudden you want to be friends? What the hell did Liz ever see in you, anyway?"

Mary Jane froze, a lump in her throat.

"Harry-"

"Are you even here about Liz to begin with?" Harry said mockingly. "How the hell do I know you're not just here for yourself? Feeling guilty about how you treated the peasants? Running for help from your own little problems? Does Princess have her own little daddy issues to deal with?" he burst out laughing.

Livid with rage, Mary Jane charged forward and immediately slammed Harry into the wall, with fire in her eyes. Her face was a mask of rage as she raised her fists to-

_Oh God…what am I doing…?_

Memories of debris flying everywhere in her first battle with Blizzard, the bruised and broken face of the Brothers Grimm, and people fleeing in terror from her battle with Polestar flooded through her mind.

Horrified, she released Harry, who slumped down to the ground.

"Harry…I…I…" she began.

"Just go, Mary Jane," he glared up at her.

"But…I…" Mary Jane shook her head.

"JUST GO!" he shouted.

Half in shock, half in confusion, Mary Jane did just that, reeling at how everything could have gone so wrong.

* * *

As a rule, Phillip Watson tended to dislike superhumans, particularly mutants, although more and more he had come to appreciate that they had certain uses. Some people, such as the man with the long blonde hair, golden eyes, and what resembled a green bodysuit with a gold starburst on the front, had the combination of talents and disposition that could be put to good use, if the price was right.

Sitting in his office that evening with his strange new guest, Watson sipped at his wine as he mulled over how best to approach the man seated in the chair opposite him.

"So then, Mister…" he began.

"Will O' the Wisp," the blonde man opposite him said haughtily, taking a drink of mineral water as his eyes narrowed. "Such would be the preferred term by which you may address me."

Something about the man, whatever it was, made Phillip want to reach out and punch the Wisp in the face. He forced himself to keep his temper in check, however, as he knew better than to risk angering Norman Osborn, who had asked him to carry out this matter on Osborn's behalf.

"Will o' the Wisp," Watson finally agreed. "The Friends of Humanity, who I have worked with in the past, have many contacts in the superhuman criminal underworld. They referred me to you and your unique machine-manipulating abilities, and implied that you would do work for hire."

"Quite so," Will o' the Wisp nodded. "I have moved beyond simple larceny and now aspire to use my talents towards more productive and lucrative ends. Ever since my previous encounter with the costumed vigilante known as Spider-Woman, I have come to appreciate the values of subtlety and stealth."

"And that would include industrial sabotage, I'm sure," Watson noted dryly.

"Naturally," the Wisp smirked. "For what reasons did you wish to engage my services, then?"

"A friend of mine wishes to deal with some of his competition," Watson explained. "The Roxxon Oil Company-" he stopped short as he noticed the Wisp's eyes flaring dangerously.

"Is something the matter?" Watson asked.

"Not in the least," the Wisp replied, a wicked smile crossing his face. "You were saying?"

"The Roxxon Oil Company is going to have a major group of investors visiting their New York operations two days from now," Watson resumed his speech. "You must infiltrate the building's machinery and use your control of it to cause as much mayhem as you can in the investors' presence. Cause some industrial accidents, make their safety measures look negligent, perhaps cause the injuries or deaths of some of the workers to prompt some lawsuits against the company."

"This, I presume, is a means to change the investors' minds about becoming involved with Roxxon?" the Wisp smirked once more.

That smug, self-assured smile again made Watson want to punch him, and again Phillip was forced to restrain his temper.

"Think what you wish," Watson snorted, refusing to admit that the Wisp was correct and that the sabotage was meant to persuade the investors to reconsider Roxxon and instead take their business to Oscorp. "Your fee is, as I understand it, $100,000, with forty percent as a down payment and the remaining sixty percent upon successful completion of the assignment?"

"I have changed my mind," the Wisp said in an insolent tone, his smile becoming all the wider. "Sixty percent as a down payment, and forty percent upon completion of the assignment."

Phillip's face flushed with anger.

"What are you-" he began, his eyes flaring dangerously.

"Such an action will of course guarantee my silence in the matter," the Wisp continued to smile, not budging an inch. "One would think that secrecy would be a priority, _n'est-ce pas?_" he laughed.

As much as Phillip wanted to strangle the arrogant Wisp, he again fought to keep his temper under control, knowing that if he did not he would only be angering Norman Osborn, an infinitely worse proposition than having to endure the Wisp's attitude.

"…Very well," Watson conceded. "But we will revoke payment in full if you fail," he warned. "And I would not recommend double-crossing my client, considering his very short temper and his remarkable capacity for devising creative punishments."

"I see no reason to do so," the Wisp snorted, "considering that I will not fail. By your leave, then…" he said as he stood up and resumed the form of a brightly glowing ball of light, which flew towards the window of Watson's office and phased right through the window, before taking off into the night.

* * *

Dressed as Spider-Woman, Mary Jane swung across the New York rooftops later that night. Anxious for a distraction from the day's disaster with Harry, she had eagerly set out in the hopes that she would find something else to occupy her mind, which was whirling with concern about what she would tell Liz.

_I let them both down, _she realized grimly as she swung through the Bronx. _I couldn't help Harry…and what the hell am I going to tell Liz? _Spider-Woman wondered in shame as she paused for a moment against the side of a textile factory. _I can't…_

All of a sudden, Spider-Woman froze in place as she felt that same pulling urge come at her once again, the same feeling she had come to dub her "spider-senses", only this time less urgently than it normally did. She slowly turned her head, scanning the night horizon to get a better feel for the intuition, before she fired a webline and sprung off in the direction of a Roxxon factory on the edge of the East River.

Ever since her powers had begun to develop, Mary Jane had begun researching spiders to get a better understanding of her abilities. While she had expected to retain some of the skills spiders possessed, she was astonished at just how much she seemed to borrow from them.

In addition to her incredible speed and agility, and her ability to climb on walls and produce her own webbing, Mary Jane also read about the natural camouflage abilities some spiders possessed, altering the colors of their bodies to blend in with their surroundings. With her ability to change the color of her hair at will, heightening her disguise when she was in costume, Mary Jane seemed in effect to be camouflaging herself. Similarly, her ability to dissolve adhesives seemed to come from the special secretions spiders released to keep from getting caught in their own webs.

Most intriguing had been what Mary Jane had learned about the "spider-senses" arachnids possessed. Apparently there were multiple kinds. Some spiders possessed an almost psychic ability to sense danger when it threatened them, and react accordingly. Other spiders, however, secreted special pheromones that allowed them to "imprint" people they considered important, and then use the pheromones they marked their targets with to track them using a second type of spider-sense.

For weeks now, ever since she had become Spider-Woman, Mary Jane realized she must have been unconsciously releasing her pheromones onto people she considered important, and then using those abilities to trace them when she felt it necessary. She had marked people like Liz and Harry, and when the need had arisen she had used her spider-senses to trace them, such as when they had been abducted by the Brothers Grimm.

As Spider-Woman swung down to the roof of the Roxxon factory, she was puzzled as to why her spider-senses would react the way they had, more as a warning than a sense of urgency. Walking over and peering into the darkened factory through the skylight, she realized all too well what her spider-senses had been trying to alert her to.

A glowing ball of light was floating through the middle of the factory, seeming to stop before each machine in turn and orbiting around to survey it from every angle. As it passed through the machines, they flared to life briefly, before falling inert as soon as the ball of light emerged.

There was only one being she could have marked with her pheromones who had such abilities, and she could tell right away he was up to no good. Tearing open the skylight, she dropped into the factory building as the ball of light suddenly recoiled in surprise. As it shimmered and expanded into a human form, Spider-Woman was confronted with the unwelcome sight of the Will O' the Wisp.

"Spider-Woman!" the Wisp spat in distaste. "How on Earth did you foresee my presence here?"

"It must have been your charming personality, I'm sure," Spider-Woman spat sarcastically, as she leapt out of the way of the charged energy missile the Wisp transformed himself into, bouncing off one of the machines before firing a sting blast at the Wisp, who dodged it and then suddenly focused his light once again in a powerful blinding burst. Blinded, Spider-Woman was slammed head-on by the Wisp as he became a hardened ball of light once again, before he reformed his arms and began strangling her. As she struggled to break free, the Wisp flew into the air faster than she could react and then flung her to fall crashing into one of the machines and then land painfully on the floor, his added speed increasing the force of his throw.

As she staggered to her feet, Spider-Woman suddenly remembered how she had defeated Will O' the Wisp last time, and began focusing on her spider-senses to try and find him. Her eyes still closed by the light, Spider-Woman suddenly felt the Wisp coming at her again and jumped straight over him, firing a double sting blast below her that shorted the Wisp out and returned him to his human form as he collapsed in a heap. The bright light throughout the factory vanished as Spider-Woman managed to open her eyes and release a stream of webbing at the Wisp, who changed back to a ball of light and pulled against Spider-Woman's webbing, managing to enter into one of the machines. The machine came to life with a loud squeal, as many of the cranes in the room suddenly began swinging at Spider-Woman, forcing her to dodge and jump frantically to avoid being struck.

"After our initial encounter, I had hoped to do battle with you once more!" the Wisp taunted Spider-Woman, as his head emerged from the machine. "It will be most gratifying to be able to exact an appropriate revenge upon you along with the lucrative salary I shall be receiving for my assignment!" he gloated, before he suddenly emerged from the machine as Spider-Woman fired a sting blast at it.

"You insult my intelligence, child!" the Wisp smirked, as he began flashing like a strobe light, stunning Spider-Woman long enough for a crane to finally strike her and send her flying. "Did you honestly think I would fall for the same tactic a second time?"

Once again focusing her homing senses, Spider-Woman spun a webline in the air as she flew back and came forward, flying towards Will O' the Wisp with a devastating swing kick. As he dove out of the way, he ceased flashing his strobe lights and became a hardened ball of energy once more, charging at Spider-Woman from behind and forcing her to drop her webbing. Unfortunately, this was exactly what Spider-Woman had expected, using one hand to spin a web between two machines to bounce off of even as she used her other hand to snag the Wisp with a webline. Coming down and landing on the side of a machine just above the floor, she swung the webline attached to the Wisp like a flail, slamming him hard into the ground.

As the Wisp regained his human form in a daze, Spider-Woman began webbing him up again. Will O' the Wisp tried to escape by phasing into another machine, but Spider-Woman struck it with a sting blast before he could enter more than halfway, shorting the Wisp out and leaving him reeling and writhing in pain on the floor before he finally fell unconscious.

As Spider-Woman applied a double layer of webbing to secure the Wisp for the police, she was aware of footsteps behind her. Turning around, she raised an eyebrow to see a pair of Roxxon security guards advancing on her, their pistols drawn.

"Are you going to attack me?" she asked warily, her arms tense at her sides.

"No way, honey," one of the guards shook his head. "That bastard hypnotized us and forced us to let him into the main factory. We owe you big time, taking him out like that. When the cops get here, we'll vouch for you, if you're going to stay till then."

The other guard came over and inspected the downed Wisp more closely, kneeling down to get a good look at his face.

"Son of a bitch, is that Jackson Arvad?" the guard wondered, as his companion came over to see for himself.

"You know him?" Spider-Woman asked in surprise.

"He used to work here," one of the guards said in disgust. "Guy was a total asshole, fucked his coworkers over to get promoted, finally caused an accident that killed a bunch of people after he skimped on the safety measures. Guess he got superhuman powers out of it."

"What a fucking waste," the other guard spat in disgust, before going back into the lobby to await the police.

"Thanks again, kid," the other guard said to Spider-Woman as she spun a webline and began climbing it towards the broken skylight. "There's no telling what kind of shit this bastard would have pulled if you hadn't stopped him."

"He mentioned something about an 'assignment'," Spider-Woman told the guard as she continued ascending the webline. "I don't know what he meant, though…"

"Whatever it was, it can't be good," the guard muttered, before his partner came back into the factory accompanied by several police officers. As they began taking the unconscious Will O' the Wisp into custody, Spider-Woman made her way back through the skylight and swung off into the night.

* * *

Over the next couple of nights, Mary Jane followed the news attentively, hoping for something, anything, on Marie-Ange Colbert. When she had spoken to the police after returning to Empire State University and changing back into her street clothes, Mary Jane had suggested that Marie-Ange might have been responsible for the abductions, given how most of the people she had kidnapped were related to her in some way.

Finally giving up in frustration, she went for her Monday afternoon meeting with her mother, Kristy and Aunt Anna, her mind whirling with what could have happened to Marie-Ange. From everything Mary Jane could tell, Marie-Ange had simply vanished off the face of the earth.

Reaching Aunt Anna's house, Mary Jane was surprised to find no one to greet her. Walking through the house, she finally found her mother Maddie Watson sitting upstairs watching TV by herself. She slowly turned around at Mary Jane's greeting, and gestured her to sit down and join her on the couch, hugging her daughter tightly.

"Where are Kristy and Aunt Anna?" Mary Jane asked.

"They went out shopping," Maddie answered.

"You didn't want to go?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Oh, you know how it is," Maddie smiled. "I just like my quiet time."

"But…" Mary Jane trailed off.

"What's wrong?" Maddie asked her curiously.

"When was the last time you went out?" Mary Jane asked. "I mean, you're always here, even when Aunt Anna's at work and Kristy is in school."

"Well, there's no real need to do it," Maddie said after a moment. "Besides, someone has to look after the house while they're out, right?"

"No...Mom…" Mary Jane tried to find the right words. "You can't just spend all your time cooped up in this house. It isn't healthy."

"Well, I don't like going out by myself," Maddie frowned, as she turned and looked out the window. "I mean, it was nice when I went out with your father, but since then…I don't know."

"Mom?" Mary Jane asked.

"He was always the hit of the party," Maddie said wistfully, ignoring Mary Jane. "We used to have so much fun when we were dating, before he got all caught up in his work. I suppose I can't blame him for needing some of those girls to relieve his stress…"

Mary Jane stared at her mother in blank amazement.

"You can't blame him?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, you know how stressful that type of work can be," Maddie said, her voice beginning to quaver. "It's no wonder he could get so angry…"

"But…Mom…" Mary Jane tried to continue, stunned.

"It's alright, Mary Jane, it's okay," Maddie said, shaking her head. "Your father works very hard for his money. I just wish I could see him again, I miss him so much…" she sighed, looking out the window before falling silent.

All Mary Jane could do was sit with her mother, her arms around Maddie's shoulders.

* * *

Mary Jane stormed back into her apartment later that evening, her face set in a mask of anger. Booting up her laptop, she typed out an e-mail to Karen Page, her mother's divorce attorney.

_Dear Ms. Page: _

_You have my permission to begin the divorce proceedings for my mother. I apologize for not responding to you before now, but I've had to deal with a number of other pressing matters. Please let me know as soon as you have filed the legal papers, and keep me informed of the proceedings. _

_Above all else, I would ask that you proceed with the case, irrespective of whatever threats or maneuvers Phillip Watson and his counsel may carry out. _

_I cannot stress this urgently enough. _

_Sincerely, _

_Mary Jane Watson. _

Tears formed in Mary Jane's eyes as she clicked the SEND icon.

_All this power, _she thought morosely as she fired a webline to retrieve a can of fruit juice from a shelf on the far wall of her apartment, _and exactly how does it help me again…? _

_(__**Next Issue: **_Mary Jane tries to salvage her relationship with Liz and Harry, even as Harry disappears altogether and she resumes helping Randy Robertson with his documentary and continues the search for Marie-Ange Colbert. Phillip Watson also proves to be a very busy man, as he responds both to his wife's divorce filings and engages the services of the deadly assassin known as the Constrictor! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #10: Snake Eyes!)_


	11. Snake Eyes

"Hi, MJ!" Liz Allan greeted Mary Jane Watson on the Empire State University campus that morning. Running to catch up with her friend, Liz was surprised to see how pale Mary Jane was, and how she couldn't seem to look at her. She tried to walk away, before Liz caught her.

"…What's the matter?" Liz asked Mary Jane, a concerned look on her face.

"I…" Mary Jane began, before she fell silent.

"Are you alright?" Liz persisted.

"I blew it," Mary Jane said, shame creeping into her voice. "I totally blew it."

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #10

"SNAKE EYES"

* * *

"What do you mean?" Liz asked, leading her into the Student's Union Building, where they sat down on one of the couches set aside for students.

It took Mary Jane several seconds to compose herself, before she finally spoke again, her voice trembling.

"I tried talking to Harry, and then…I don't know, everything just went out of control! We started screaming at each other, then I just about lost it. I was about to…to…" she couldn't finish.

Liz frowned, as Mary Jane fell silent.

"So what happened after that?" she asked gently.

"I just ran," Mary Jane said ashamedly. "I…I'm so sorry, Liz," she continued. "I tried to help, I did really, but-"

"I know you tried," Liz reassured her. "I'll try talking to him again myself-maybe he'll open up some more to me if I try again. What about you, though?"

Shame turned to confusion on Mary Jane's face.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You seem like you're really under a lot of stress," Liz replied. "Are classes getting to be too much, or is it-"

"No, it's my parents," Mary Jane muttered. "They're going through a really ugly divorce right now. It's driving me crazy."

"You're upset that they're splitting up?" Liz asked.

"God, no!" Mary Jane shot back, rather more harshly than she intended. "It's just that we really need my dad's money, and if my mom divorces him, chances are he'll cut us off altogether. I can't stand it, but what am I supposed to do?"

"Your mom's staying with your Aunt Anna, right?" Liz asked.

"Yeah," Mary Jane sighed, "and chances are I'll have to move in with them or something if Dad cuts us off, since I won't be able to afford it otherwise. I've been trying to find some more acting and modeling jobs, but I've just had a terrible time finding work lately! The only thing I've been able to find recently is that student film of Randy Robertson's, and that was only because Kitty referred him to me," she concluded in frustration.

"So you're worried about the money?" Liz noted.

"Yeah…" Mary Jane replied, leaning back against the couch. "The sooner this goes through, the better it'll be more Mom, but then you know Dad is going to screw us over, and we'll have to find some other source of money-it's not fair to Aunt Anna to support all four of us if I have to move back there. And Mom can't get a job right now," she continued, answering Liz's unspoken question, "since she still needs some time to get her head together."

"Tell you what, MJ," Liz said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're worried about me and Harry, but you have to take care of yourself first. I'll look after Harry-but please, before anything else, look after your mother. She's what's most important right now."

Mary Jane smiled sadly.

"Thanks, Liz."

"No problem," Liz reassured her. "And don't worry about finding a job-this is New York! With your looks and your talent, you'll have them beating down your door! Just give it time."

* * *

"What's your problem this morning?" Norman Osborn asked Phillip Watson as the red-haired man stormed into his office, his face almost as scarlet as his hair.

"Don't fucking start with me, Norman," Phillip warned his partner as he sat down and opened his briefcase. "Now, Senator Finster responded to my email and told me-"

"Problems with the wife? The daughter, maybe?" Norman asked without looking up.

"I threw those cunts out months ago," Phillip replied dismissively. "As I was saying-"

"Oh, I get it," Norman continued as he finally looked up from his laptop. "How much alimony are they asking for?"

"Goddammit Norman, I told you not to start with me!" Phillip finally shouted, his eyes flaring in a rage as he grabbed the edge of Norman's desk. Taking a deep breath, Phillip sat down again, as Norman's smile vanished and he leaned back in his chair, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps we should meet sometime later this week," Norman noted, "when you are more in control of your emotions."

"I can handle it, Norman," Phillip shot back, as he forced himself to calm down. "Now then, as for other business…"

"I understand that the Will O' the Wisp failed the mission you had hired him for, didn't he?" Norman asked.

"The pompous idiot was attacked by Spider-Woman and got himself arrested," Phillip said, as he shuffled through the papers in his briefcase and raised an eyebrow at what he saw.

Now it was Norman Osborn's turn to flush red with anger.

"Something the matter, Norman?" Phillip asked, as he raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Norman said brusquely, although Phillip could see a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Is there much else we can do about the investors visiting the Roxxon plant now?"

"I'm afraid not," Phillip replied, "but I did revoke the Wisp's down payment, so it hasn't cost us anything. Our biggest problem right now would be running the risk of getting caught in the crossfire between Crimewave and Phillippe Bazin, and-"

"No, our biggest problem is that muckracking Ben Urich," Norman cut in, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists in anger. "If he ties us in to that tainted water scandal in Nyack, the EPA is going to be all over us," he continued, referring to the _Daily Bugle_'s investigations of a sudden outbreak of violent illness in the city of Nyack in New York State, which were alleged to have been caused by Oscorp's illegal chemical dumping and polluting the city aquifers.

"So what do we do?" Phillip asked.

"We call the Constrictor," Norman said matter-of-factly.

"The Constrictor?" Phillip balked. "Killing Ben Urich will-"

"We're not going after Ben Urich," Norman assured him. "We're going to arrange for his nephew Phil to have an 'accident'," he said calmly.

"As a warning, then?" Phillip asked, and Norman nodded. "And what happens if some costumed hero gets in the way?"

"What happens if they do?" Norman replied, contempt in his voice. "Why do you think I want to draft the Constrictor for this job?"

Even if he had been occasionally defeated by the likes of Spider-Man and Captain America, the Constrictor still enjoyed a strong reputation in the superhuman mercenary community for his consummate loyalty to his employers and the fact that he had always kept his mouth shut on the rare occasions whenever he had been captured, never giving away any information about his employers or why he had done the jobs he was contracted for.

"No matter what happens, there won't be anything to tie it back to us," Phillip smiled.

* * *

Another long evening of filming for Randy Robertson's documentary after the day's classes provided Mary Jane with a welcome distraction from her worries with Liz and Harry. Losing herself in the dance, she was always able to leave her problems behind, if only for a little while.

As Mary Jane moved to join several of the other dancers who were sitting down to take a break after they had wrapped filming for the night, she saw Randy Robertson moving towards her, a wide smile on his face. Breaking off from the rest of the group, she moved to join him as they sat down together.

"I swear, Mary Jane, you're a lifesaver," Randy told her before she had a chance to say anything. "The video's going to be a hit-I was thinking of putting it on YouTube after I handed it in. If you hadn't stepped in when that other girl broke her foot, I don't know what I would have done."

"Glad I could help," Mary Jane nodded.

"Did you try for that _A Streetcar Named Desire _production I told you about?" Randy asked her.

"The production's been postponed," Mary Jane shook her head. "The company is having financial problems, so they won't be having auditions until the middle of February. Just my luck," she sighed in frustration.

"Well, I don't know if this is something you'd really be interested in, but I heard from a friend of mine that Kingsley Cosmetics is looking for some models to promote this new makeup line they're releasing next month," Randy said.

"Kingsley Cosmetics?" Mary Jane asked. "As in Roderick Kingsley? Wasn't he-"

"-mixed up in that whole lawsuit a couple of years ago that said he stole a lot of research from some of his competitors?" Randy asked. "Yeah, but that whole thing was dismissed, I think."

"At this point, I don't have much else going for me," Mary Jane said glumly. "I guess I might as well try out-what have I got to lose, right?"

"They're holding auditions at Bloomingdale's this weekend," Randy told her. "I have to go down there to pick up some things-you want to come with me? We could probably grab some dinner and a movie afterwards, if you like."

Mary Jane blinked at him in surprise.

"Are you…asking me out?" she asked Randy.

"Sure sounds like it," Randy grinned back at her. "So what do you say?"

"I…uh…" she trailed off for several seconds.

Randy looked at her curiously.

"I can't," she shook her head. "I have…too much homework that night," she finally finished. "I mean, I'd like to, but-"

"Are you alright?" Randy asked her.

"Of course I am!" she snapped at him, as she stood up to leave, before she softened again. "Look, I have to go now. I appreciate the offer, but-"

"Are you sure about this, Mary Jane?" Randy asked, grabbing her arm.

She hesitated again.

"…Yeah," she said unconvincingly, as she pulled herself free and forced herself to walk to the auditorium door.

Randy's concerned gaze followed her out.

* * *

Mary Jane sat at her computer the next night after classes, having completed her homework for the evening. She had opened her university e-mail account, and had entered Marie-Ange Colbert's school email address…but that was as far as she got. When Mary Jane had rescued Liz and the rest of the people kidnapped by the bizarre tarot-card monsters some weeks before, she had initially suspected Marie-Ange as being behind it all, given that the people that had been kidnapped had all crossed paths with Marie-Ange at some point or another.

Now, however, Mary Jane was plagued with guilt, wondering if she had made a mistake. Marie-Ange no longer attended classes, and nothing about her had appeared on the news. If she had been arrested or charged, something would have appeared on the news…but there was nothing at all. What might have happened to Marie-Ange, if Mary Jane had inadvertently accused her of a crime she didn't commit?

So far, Mary Jane had held off on contacting the police-what would they think if this girl was suddenly asking about Marie-Ange for no reason?-and otherwise wasn't sure what else she could do without running the risk of appearing too interested or exposing herself somehow.

Then she thought of attempting to email Marie-Ange.

_Dear Marie-Ange: _

_It's Mary Jane, from Drama. We haven't seen you in class in a while, and we're just wondering how you're doing. Are you OK? Is there some way we could help? We're just worried, and we'd like to know if you're alright. _

_Yours, _

_Mary Jane_

Mary Jane was about to hit the SEND icon when she froze.

She suddenly remembered her ugly meeting with Harry just three days before, and how she had almost attacked him.

She deleted the e-mail without sending it.

* * *

The next day, Mary Jane exited her History class and prepared to head home, only to run into her friend Julia Winhill. Majoring in Journalism and minoring in Political Science, Julia's long black hair and pale heart-shaped face might have made her seem more suitable for dance or drama than political debate, but her keen intellect and strong, clear speaking voice belied her appearance. Part of a group of students from Albany who had come to ESU together, Mary Jane had always found Julia an engaging person to talk to, mostly because of how she was certain Julia's opinions would have outraged Phillip Watson, had he ever heard them.

"Hey MJ," Julia greeted her with a smile. "I heard about that video you're doing for Randy Robertson in his Film class. It's so nice you agreed to help him out."

"It's no big deal," Mary Jane shrugged as they made their way off campus. "It was Kitty Pryde's idea, actually-she just thought I might know someone who could fill in, and I decided to do it myself. It's not a problem, really."

"Yes it is," Julia insisted, "because not nearly enough people know about everything African Americans…" she trailed off for a moment.

"Sorry about that," she continued with an embarrassed smile. "I have a tendency to go too far with these things."

"Don't worry about it," Mary Jane nodded. "What brings you out this way, anyway? I thought you lived in the other direction, with those other guys from Albany. What are their names? Rick and Melissa?"

"Alyssa," Julia corrected her. "And I'm just on my way to see my friend Phil. He and I are involved in a lot of different political stuff, and we're just meeting at his uncle's townhouse to discuss some things."

"That's just three blocks from where I live," Mary Jane noted after Julia had given her the location. "I'm on my way home now anyway. You want to get some coffee or something on the way?"

"Is it fair trade?" Julia asked, before shaking her head at Mary Jane's blank look. "Never mind, it's alright. I'll just get something at Phil's place."

The townhouse of Ben Urich, longstanding crime reporter for the _Daily Bugle, _was relatively modest considering the neighborhood it was in, having been one of the first ones built before the values of the surrounding property had risen and been purchased by higher-income residents. Unkempt and otherwise undecorated, Ben Urich's home was a mirror of its owner's personality, going about in its own way and hardly caring what others thought of its rumpled appearance.

At Julia's invitation, Mary Jane somewhat reluctantly followed her in, looking around in surprise at the mess of books, papers and file folders that cluttered the entire inside of the first floor. She saw news clippings, typed and handwritten correspondence, scribbled notes in binders, and any number of Post-Its, all dealing with some sort of crime issues that otherwise made little sense but left Mary Jane wondering if Ben Urich was a crime reporter or an obsessive-compulsive packrat.

The sound of someone coming down the stairs turned Mary Jane around, until she saw a thin blonde man with scruffy hair and glasses, dressed in a blue sweater and jeans, come down to greet her and Julia. As Julia brought him over to introduce them, Mary Jane couldn't help but notice just how wide Phil's smile got when he got a good look at her. Not that Mary Jane really minded-after almost six years of going to school with teenage males, she had gotten used to it…more or less, at any rate.

"Nice to meet you," Phil bowed to her. "You stopping in, or just-"

"No, I was just on my way home," Mary Jane shook her head.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Phil laughed.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Phil's just talking about that one supervillain who went after me a couple of times," Julia sighed, clearly not wanting to talk about this. "This psychopath named Lightmaster, who developed a grudge against me because I exposed his academic plagiarism. Look, Phil, can we not-"

"Sorry Julia," Phil nodded. "You take care, alright MJ?" he nodded as she moved to leave.

Even as Mary Jane did, however, Julia's words sounded in her head, and she took care to mark them both with her special tracing pheromones, just in case.

* * *

Mary Jane's intuition paid off much sooner than she expected, however, as her spider-senses began prickling that night as she was returning home after an uneventful night of webswinging to try and clear her head. Following its pull, she was surprised to find herself heading towards Ben Urich's house, which seemed just as quiet and dark as the rest of the block.

Even then, her spider-senses, which seemed to react whenever someone Spider-Woman had marked with them was in peril or otherwise in a situation she would be interested in, insistently led her to land silently in Urich's front yard and walk up to the door, which to her surprise was unlocked. Making her way in, Spider-Woman was doubly amazed to find that Urich's alarm system was entirely silent, not even reacting to her presence the way it had when she and Julia had come in earlier that day.

Now convinced something was wrong, Spider-Woman looked around in alarm and saw a single light on coming from a room on the upper landing. Silently making her way up the wall and over the railing, she peered into the room and was astonished at what she saw.

Phil Urich, clad in pajamas, lay on the floor next to his rumpled bed gritting his teeth in agony, wrapped in what appeared to be a series of steel cables that connected to the gauntlets of a tall man in a costume of dark midnight blue with a gold band that began in the middle of his mask and down the front of his body. Similar patterns began on his shoulders and continued down his arms, reminding Spider-Woman of a serpentine pattern. Electrical currents coursed up and down the cables, causing Phil to writhe and apparently scream, although no sound came from his mouth.

"What the hell are you doing?" Spider-Woman demanded furiously as the costumed man turned around in surprise, while she attempted to blast him with her electrical stings. Scowling at her, the man somehow recalled the cables, which coiled off of Phil's body like snakes, before they came up in front of the man in a protective screen, easily absorbing the energy of her attack.

"I take it you're new at the game," the blue and gold-garbed man said calmly to Spider-Woman, before the cables suddenly lashed out and entangled her with blinding speed. "My professional name, so to speak, is the Constrictor. I trust I live up to my name?" he asked ironically, as the coils suddenly sparked to life with electrical energy, shocking Spider-Woman and causing her to scream in pain, before falling silent as another coil wrapped around her throat.

"Silent but deadly," the Constrictor explained to Spider-Woman as she struggled to free herself. "Vibranium can silence a victim's cries, and can deflect energy attacks. I should also add that, if engineered properly, it can conduct electricity very well."

Her head swimming, Spider-Woman did the only things she could think of and sprang back, her powerful leg muscles taking her back out onto the landing and over the railing, dragging the Constrictor out with her. Spinning a web to catch herself on the landing before she crashed to the ground, Spider-Woman was astonished to feel the coils sliding off her even as the Constrictor expertly twisted through the air and landed on his feet in the parlor of the Urich residence, instead of crashing to the floor like she expected.

The coils snaked out at her again as she came down to join the Constrictor, crackling with electricity as she dodged quickly, spreading her webbing in a wide defensive arc as she tried to entangle the snakelike appendages. For every one she entangled, however, another one snapped free, even as they threatened to surround her. Spider-Woman managed to leap out of the closing circle, but then the coils gathered into a large spiked ball that smashed her in midair, causing her to fall awkwardly and land heavily on the ground.

As she struggled to get to her feet, Spider-Woman felt some of the coils wrap around her again and slam her heavily against the wall, even as she saw another set of coils slide up the wall next to her. Hearing a struggle and a scream, Spider-Woman saw Phil Urich dragged down next to her, similarly caught and entangled, before the Constrictor advanced on them, giving them another low-level shock to keep them from struggling.

The Constrictor turned on the lights to get a better look at his victims, and he raised his eyebrows as he got a good look at Spider-Woman for the first time.

"So young," he mused, as he jolted Spider-Woman again. "Are you even out of high school, child?"

"What…why…why are you asking?" Spider-Woman slurred at him, still woozy from being slammed into the wall and from the shocks he had given her.

"Because I am curious to know just how long you have been operating as a costumed heroine, my dear," the Constrictor informed her. "I do not pretend to know what motivates you to engage in such a perilous activity, nor would I care to. But from your actions here tonight, it is clear that you are rather more inexperienced than the likes of Spider-Man, Daredevil or Captain America, all of whom I have battled over the course of my career."

"To that end, I would warn you of the perils of your chosen path as a costumed adventurer. I wonder whether, in your youth and inexperience, you had considered these possibilities when you first donned your costume, and just how dangerous our chosen profession can be."

The coils pinning Phil Urich suddenly came to life, wrapping around his head and neck as Spider-Woman frantically struggled to free herself, only to be shocked once again. She could only watch in horror as the coils rapidly turned Phil's head almost completely around, breaking his neck with a sickening crunch.

"My motivation for dressing the way I do is money," the Constrictor continued flatly as he recalled his coils, freeing Spider-Woman and Phil's lifeless body, which both slumped to the floor. "It's why I use these electrical coils, and why I use the devices that disabled Ben Urich's burglar alarms and unlocked his front door. My advice to you, young one," he told her as she crawled over to Phil's body and helplessly tried to revive him, tears in her eyes, "would be to consider precisely why you wear your costume, and what you hope to accomplish by wearing it. As I have shown you, this life is far more dangerous and far less glamorous than you have presumably imagined," he finished, making his way out the door as Spider-Woman sat down next to Phil Urich's corpse, her head in her hands.

She vaguely remembered phoning the police and making up some brief statement about how she had seen the Constrictor enter the house on her nightly patrols, and suspected he was up to no good, before she had swung off into the night, taking a long, circuitous route around the city before returning to her apartment several hours later.

She stumbled into the bathroom still in her costume, tearing off her mask before pausing to look at her various bruises, contusions and electrical burns. She then stared blankly into the mirror for several minutes, before she vomited into the sink, ambled into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed without changing out of her uniform.

It was anyone's guess if it could be called sleep, as Mary Jane's mind whirled with images of her mother sitting huddled and alone on the couch, her father's angry shouting, her enraged beating of the Brothers Grimm and Polestar, her dousing Firebrand's flames with her webbing and pulling people from burning buildings, her conversation with the nurse after rescuing that one woman from the electrical fire, her nearly attacking Harry, Liz's smiling face…

She spent most of the next day in a daze as her wounds healed, not going to classes or answering her phone, or looking at the headline in the _Daily Bugle _that noted Phil Urich's murder.

The idea of facing Julia made Mary Jane want to run back and vomit in the sink again.

_(__**Next Issue: **_Mary Jane once again finds herself questioning her role as Spider-Woman as she tries to cope with the murder of Phil Urich. Even as she does so, she becomes confronted with her father's response to Maddie Watson's divorce filing and tries out for the Kingsley Cosmetics audition, seeking more money to help her family. But how will she handle dealing with the infamous Roderick Kingsley? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #11: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do!)_


	12. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Mary Jane Watson finally emerged from the shower the next morning, her mind far away as she slipped on her Spider-Woman costume and put her regular clothes overtop of it. As she finally emerged from her apartment, the sun caught her in the face and she blinked in surprise, before she took a deep breath and forced herself to walk to Empire State University. She did not meet Julia as she headed for the Drama building, much to her relief, but almost bumped into Kitty Pryde, stumbling through her as Kitty used her mutant phasing powers to prevent a collision.

"Hey MJ," Kitty greeted her with a smile. "We missed you at the library yesterday…"

"Oh no," Mary Jane sighed in frustration, shaking her head in apology. "I'm so sorry...I've just been swamped with schoolwork and rehearsals-"

"Hey, it's no big deal," Kitty grinned. "I can just lend you my notes, if you like."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Mary Jane nodded as they entered the classroom. "I really appreciate-"

"Long time no see, Watson," Mary Jane and Kitty heard an all-too-familiar voice ring out. "Have you been avoiding me, or something? And here I thought we were friends…"

Kitty could only wince as she saw Mary Jane's face turn almost as red as her hair.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #11

"BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO"

* * *

Felicia Hardy only grinned mockingly as she approached, her loyal sycophant Sally Avril only a step behind her. She giggled as Mary Jane began taking several deep breaths and closed her eyes, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Uh…MJ?" Kitty began hesitantly.

Mary Jane didn't seem to hear her.

"Cat got your tongue, Watson?" Felicia smirked, as Sally began to laugh.

Mary Jane's eyes finally snapped open, becoming cold as ice as they stared daggers at Felicia and Sally. Her fists were tightly bunched, the knuckles on her hands becoming white with the strain, as Kitty stepped back involuntarily.

"There are a lot of things I could say or do, Felicia, but I won't. You know why?" the red-headed young woman demanded.

"Try me," Felicia grinned back at her, not giving an inch.

"Because I don't need to," Mary Jane said, her voice turning cold and soft. "After all, I'm not the one who has to live with the knowledge that I slept with the entire starting lineups of the Midtown High baseball, football and basketball teams, or that my one steady boyfriend turned out to be a jealous psychopath, or that my mother floozed her way to the top at Hammer Industries. Who's your daddy, Felicia? Ever wonder how much you and Justine Hammer look alike?"

Felicia turned white, as Sally's and Kitty's jaws dropped.

"Oh, and what about Brigid O'Reilly? Whatever happened to her, anyway?" Mary Jane continued, her eyes narrowing.

"You stupid bi-" Felicia caught herself. "This isn't over," she finally hissed, before turning with Sally as their professor came in.

* * *

"Are you okay, Mary Jane?" Kitty asked her friend as they left after the class was complete. "I mean, wasn't that pretty harsh, even for Felicia?"

"It's all true," Mary Jane muttered.

"Even if it is, that's still no reason to sink to her level," Kitty rebuked her.

"She's been pulling that kind of crap for years, all the way back to when we went to Midtown High together," Mary Jane replied. "Felicia put Marie-Ange Colbert through hell. I just wish I'd…I should have done something to…"

"Stop her? Stand up for Marie-Ange?" Kitty prompted, as Mary Jane nodded.

"You feel guilty, don't you?" Kitty suddenly said, as Mary Jane froze.

"I…" Mary Jane stammered. "I don't know, I mean, I…Felicia just makes me so angry," she finally finished. "I know I lost it today, but she just knows how to push my buttons."

"That's not all it is, though, is it?" Kitty asked her.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked.

"Well…" Kitty hesitated, "you just seem so frustrated these days. Are things not working out with Randy?"

"What?" Mary Jane asked in surprise. "No, it's been going great. Randy says he'll get an A for sure on his project."

"Well, what is it, then?" Kitty asked her. "Your schoolwork? Problems at home, or something like that?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Mary Jane shook her head.

Kitty scowled at this.

"Look, Mary Jane, you can't just keep blowing us off like this," she said bluntly. "Whatever's going on, you've got to deal with it."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Mary Jane snapped back at her.

"Whatever it is, it's not working," Kitty replied, as Mary Jane's eyes flared. "We're your friends, aren't we? So why won't you let us help you?"

Mary Jane finally slumped down on a bench in the hallway, as Kitty sat down next to her. Anger gave way to fatigue as she leaned back, closing her eyes.

"I don't know what you, Liz or anyone else _could _do," she said miserably, as Kitty blinked in surprise. "Not unless you can keep my mom from falling apart over her divorcing my father, or help me find a paying job to help keep a roof over her head."

"Oh, MJ…" Kitty said gently. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"It's alright," Mary Jane muttered absently.

"You know, even if I can't help you with all that, there might still be something I can do," Kitty began, as Mary Jane looked back at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"This weekend is my cousin Ben's birthday," Kitty grinned. "We're having a big party at this club my Uncle Roger rented, the Argent Room. How'd you like to come? I'm going to invite Harry and Liz, too."

"Well…" Mary Jane hesitated.

"Your cousin Kristy can come too," Kitty continued. "I even invited Randy," she finished with a grin, chuckling as Mary Jane suddenly turned red.

Mary Jane sat in silence for several minutes.

"I'd like to come," she began, "but I have this really important modeling test to go to at Bloomingdale's, for Kingsley Cosmetics. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, but I can't afford to miss this chance."

Kitty frowned.

"Well, it won't be until later," she began.

"Yeah, but I don't know how long it'll be," Mary Jane said too quickly, before she stood up and continued walking down the hall.

"MJ?" Kitty called after her.

"I'm late for my next class!" Mary Jane replied as she ran down the hallway. "I'll see you later!"

_Yeah, but how much later? _Kitty thought to herself worriedly.

_**

* * *

**_

That night…

The Libertinewas a popular upscale restaurant in the heart of Manhattan, well-known for its expensive dining and high-class clientele. It was a popular place for businesspeople entertaining clients, movie stars and other celebrities who wanted to be seen, and wealthy socialites who sought only the best in fashionable cuisine. Such were the typical clients that the maitre d' dealt with on a typical evening such as this.

As he offered a winning smile to the departing Wilson Fisk, the maitre d' turned back to the main entrance, eagerly anticipating his next customer. No one was there for the moment, the only thing out of the ordinary was a strange humming sound that seemed to grow louder. The maitre d' frowned at the noise, before he forgot all about it when he saw the truly bizarre sight that alighted outside the restaurant's glass doors.

A figure dressed in a dark green suit of body armor, with a lighter green chest plate decorated with what resembled tiny skulls all over the front and back, matching light green gloves and boots painted to look like skeletal hands and feet, a bright gold belt with tiny figures of pumpkin heads, ghosts and bats hanging from its contours like a miniature charm bracelet and a ghoulish, leering human-sized pumpkin where its head should have been, wreathed in bright gold and orange flames, came into view. It rode a flying disk some four feet in diameter, ringed with what looked like human skulls, the source of the unnerving humming sound, that soon came to a stop as the creature landed on the ground. The pumpkin-headed thing picked up the disc and pressed a button on it, causing it to contract to some four inches in diameter, before it was replaced on the strange creature's belt.

As the creature pushed the door open and made its way into the restaurant, it looked over at the maitre d', who stood frozen in shock and fear.

"_Are there any seats available tonight?" _the thing asked the maitre d' in an eerily distorted, echoing voice.

The maitre d' just stood there, rooted to the spot.

"_I'd like an answer," _the pumpkin–headed being informed him.

"P…p…please, take whatever you want! I can even open the safe-" the maitre d' finally began trembling, before the pumpkin-headed thing laughed, a sound that sent chills down the maitre d's spine.

"_Table for one," _it rasped at him.

"…Excuse me?" the maitre d' finally asked him, fear turning to confusion.

"_I chose the Libertine because I heard it had some of the best service in New York," _the pumpkin-headed being noted, seeming to scowl although its leering pumpkin face never changed expression. _"So far, I am not impressed." _

It took several seconds for what the strange figure was saying to dawn on the maitre d'.

"…Oh!" he finally stammered. "Yes, well, we have a few openings, Mister…"

"_Jack O'Lantern," _the creature rasped. _"And I'll need to see a copy of the wine list." _

The conversation had by now attracted the attention of several other diners and staff, who all stood staring in confusion and fear at Jack O'Lantern.

Jack O'Lantern merely stared back.

"_What are you all staring at?" _it demanded. _"Can't a person get a decent meal without being stared at like some freak of nature?" _

Shaken and unnerved, most of the people returned to their meals, muttering to themselves, as Jack O'Lantern was led to his table. Demanding a chardonnay and a plate of steak tartare, Jack looked around in distaste at the people, who continued to look up from their meals at him. It didn't get any better when his meal arrived, as he took the food up to the carved mouth of his pumpkin head, simply seeming to vanish or be consumed by the flames, even when his mouth did not seem to move.

Finally, Jack O'Lantern finished his dinner and stood up, reaching for one of the trinkets on his belt. The surrounding diners froze in panic, and some even dove under their tables for protection, before Jack retrieved the money he owed from a pocket and left it on the table. Walking out the front door of the restaurant, he took his flying disk off his belt and quickly reactivated it, hopping on and then taking to the air.

_That was a lot of fun, _he smiled to himself as he flew into the night. _And tomorrow night I pay Norman Osborn a little visit…_

Jack O'Lantern began giggling hysterically, his voice echoing in the darkness.

* * *

Phillip Watson strode into his office purposefully the next morning, going through his morning mail. Taking notice of the large, bulky envelope of Nelson, Murdock and Page, Attorneys At Law, he flipped it open and began glancing over the documents, raising his eyebrows at the divorce papers he was being served with.

At this point, most of those who knew Phillip Watson would have expected him to fly into a rage, begin throwing things, or shout in anger. Instead, he remained calm and collected, fixing a scotch on the rocks before he sat back in his chair, lost in thought as he folded up the divorce papers. He sat in that pose for several minutes, before he finally picked up his cell phone and began dialing.

"Menken?..It's Watson. What have you got going right now?...Uh-huh…Listen, how much do you know about divorce law?...Right…yeah…Proof of fault, huh?..."

He thought on this for a moment.

"Listen, draft an answer that'll make them have to come into court and have to contesting it. I want you to handle this personally…don't fuck with me, Menken! What do you think I'm paying you for?...Yeah, that amount is fine…just get it done, alright?"

Booting up his computer, Phillip set to work with a satisfied smile. On one level, he almost had to admire his daughter-she had clearly pushed Maddie into this, and was the one really moving for the divorce. It crossed Phillip's mind that Mary Jane had inherited the Watson drive, if not the Watson intelligence.

After all, he knew Maddie Watson better than anyone…

* * *

That Saturday, Mary Jane found herself in the high-end Bloomingdale's shopping boutique, where expensive goods from all over the world were available to the discerning shopper. In the past, Mary Jane had enjoyed coming here with Kristy, running up debt on her father's credit cards while trying on all the latest fashions, and even flirting with any cute guys they came across, as she had always seemed to lighten up whenever she was around her cousin…

She could have used Kristy's presence now, as she walked up to the raised stage Kingsley Cosmetics had set up for its audition. Dressed in a sheer red dress that matched her hair, her street clothes and costume in her backpack, Mary Jane registered for the audition and went to join the nearly twenty other models in front of the stage, looking for any familiar faces. The only one she recognized, however, was Felicia Hardy, who stared murder at her but otherwise did not say anything. Mary Jane returned her scowl, and turned around to listen to the conversation of some of the other contestants.

"So that's it, then? Forrester Fashions is dead?" one of the models was asking the other.

"Sure looks like it," the other model nodded. "Dagny threw a screaming fit, apparently."

"What's going on?" Mary Jane asked them as she walked up.

"You didn't hear?" the first model blinked in surprise. "Kingsley Cosmetics just ran Forrester Fashions out of business. They filed for bankruptcy last week. Apparently Kinsgley undercut them so much that they couldn't pay their bills, and then Kingsley came in and bought all their best designs and patents."

"A lot of the competition can't stand Kingsley Cosmetics," the second model chimed in, "and they've accused it of all kinds of dirty tricks. Theft, sabotage, insider trading, crooked regulators, all kinds of things…at least that's what they say, anyway."

"Is that true?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Who knows?" the first model shrugged. "Nothing's ever been proven. And really, who cares? Kingsley's got the best designs anyway."

Mary Jane was about to say something else, but she was interrupted by a voice booming from the loudspeakers.

* * *

Roderick Kingsley, known among his detractors as the 'sneering lizard of the fashion world', airily walked onto the stage followed by his brother Daniel, who doubled as his official bodyguard. Well-known for employing every dirty trick in the book against his competition, Kingsley might have been hated by his peers but was beloved by his clients and independent observers, easily giving established giants like Chanel and Calvin Klein a run for their money when it came to influence and sales. His snobbish attitude and his annual spring collections were the talk of Paris every year, and his arrogant, self-centered smirk showed his awareness of his status.

Behind him stalked his brother Daniel, four years older and almost two feet taller, who also doubled as his bodyguard. The two brothers could not have been more different-Roderick's puny frame, outgoing manner and tanned complexion were a dramatic contrast to Daniel's powerfully muscled body, silent and morose attitude and pale skin. Always to be found wherever Roderick went, Daniel typically kept silent and let his fists or his gun do the talking for him.

"Look Osborn, I don't care what he told you!...Oh, am I supposed to be impressed?...Give me one good reason why I should keep the arrangement!...Forget it! Oh, and one more thing, tell your wife thanks from all the guys at the country club!" Roderick finished, before he snapped his cell phone shut and began addressing the models, looking over them and admiring their curves, their eyes, or their hair. He was a happily married man, of course, but one of the advantages of being in the fashion industry was being able to ogle your employees and get away with it.

* * *

Mary Jane joined in the pacing and posing the competition required of its applicants, skillfully displaying her wonderful curves, long flowing hair and angelic face, even as one contestant after another was eliminated. She took particular pleasure in seeing Felicia cut from the competition, and the ugly look that crossed the blonde-haired woman shot at Mary Jane as she stomped offstage.

As the final stages of the competition set in, however, Mary Jane began to notice just how much Roderick Kingsley seemed to be staring at her, his eyes gleaming brightly. Her temper rose at first, and she was briefly tempted to tell Kingsley off and simply quit the competition, until she forced herself to calm down and pointedly reminded herself that her family needed the money. Apparently she couldn't fully contain her emotion, as her strides became more pronounced, her eyes flared, and her hair swept around her as she spun around the stage, to the point where Kingsley seemed about ready to fall off his chair and other passersby had begun staring at her as well.

Finally, Kingsley ended the proceedings, declaring Mary Jane and two other models to be the winners. As the crowd began to disperse, the fashion magnate came up and congratulated the winners, before handing them the schedules and other forms they needed.

"Next Thursday afternoon, ladies," Kingsley grinned at them. "My new Red Lavender scents are coming out in March-with the help of lovelies like you, I'm sure to make a killing!"

In spite of herself, Mary Jane couldn't help but scowl.

"What's wrong, kid?" Kingsley asked her, a look of concern crossing his face. "Am I not offering enough money?" he smiled winningly.

"You don't need to stare at me the way you do," Mary Jane said icily, unable to stop herself. "I'm sure the customers will be doing more than enough of that," she continued, her voice taking on an acid edge.

Mary Jane's heart sank as the Kingsley brothers and the other two models stared askance at her, realizing she'd probably just gotten herself fired before she could even begin working.

Then, Roderick suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh, that's perfect!" he chuckled. "That, **that** is what I'm looking for!"

"What?" Mary Jane was flummoxed.

"That's what Red Lavender is all about," Roderick enthused, "the fire, the passion and the temper! To let your inner flames out, to show them to the world! Yes, my dear, that's what I'm going for in this new ad campaign!"

Still laughing to himself, Kingsley spun around and walked off the stage, Daniel in tow, as Mary Jane and the models looked at each other in confusion.

* * *

Still somewhat surprised that she had gotten the job, Mary Jane returned to her apartment that afternoon to catch up on some homework. Booting up her laptop, she opened her e-mail, expecting an attachment she had been expecting from Liz for an English assignment. Instead, she found an e-mail from her father:

_Mary Jane: _

_The initial divorce hearing between my mother and yourself will take place next Tuesday, as I understand it. We will be meeting at the Third District Courthouse at 10 AM. I am sending you this e-mail as a courtesy to you, your mother and your attorney, and also a reminder that it is best that all three of you attend, so that we may gain a full understanding of the situation. _

_Sincerely Yours, _

_Phillip Watson. _

He wanted Maddie to attend the trial, she realized.

Taking several deep breaths and rubbing her temples, Mary Jane sat in silence for several minutes, before she finally sat up and took out her cell phone.

"Kitty?...Yeah, it went great…The first rehearsal is on Thursday…Listen, about your cousin's party, is it still on?...Oh, it's tomorrow night?...Yeah, yeah I'm going to come…Thanks a lot for the invitation, you don't know how much it means to me…yeah, bye."

_(__**Next Issue: **_Seeking a distraction from her problems, Mary Jane attends the birthday party of Kitty's cousin, and finds herself sharing the company of friends old and new, offering some much-needed relief. The festivities are rudely interrupted, however, when the festivities are interrupted by the villainous Boomerang and Bullseye, who are competing to kill Spider-Man to win a bar bet! And how will Mary Jane handle the initial divorce proceedings between her parents? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #12: Target Practice!)_


	13. Target Practice

"Hey, girlfriend!" Liz Allan greeted Mary Jane Watson as she entered Liz's apartment Sunday morning. "Kitty told me all about your getting the Kingsley job!" she continued, wrapping Mary Jane in a hug before the other woman had a chance to say anything.

"Yeah, I still can't quite believe it myself," Mary Jane replied as she sat down and took a sip of the tea Liz had poured for her. "Kingsley was pretty weird, though. Just the way he stared at me and the rest of the models was kind of creepy, though…"

"Did he actually do anything?" Liz asked in a frown.

"No, not really," Mary Jane answered. "He just gives me this really bizarre feeling. And then there's his brother Daniel-the guy's a robot who never seems to say anything. All he does is follow Roderick around, and then stand there and look scary."

"But you're still keeping the job, right?" Liz asked.

"I have to for now," Mary Jane grimaced as she tried to keep her teacup from shattering under her spider-strength enhanced grip. "Again, Mom really needs the extra cash. She's still going through a hard time because of the divorce with my dad."

"The hearing's on Tuesday, right?" Liz noted as Mary Jane nodded. "I'll come with you-it sounds like you could use some support."

"You're sure?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Positive," Liz assured her. "What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't help you when you needed it?"

Mary Jane reached over and hugged Liz.

"You don't know how much that means," Mary Jane said softly, a smile on her face. "You're a true friend, Liz."

"Hey, I know you need all the help you can get," Liz assured her. "Just please, promise me one thing…"

"What's that?" Mary Jane asked.

"Take care of yourself," Liz told her. "Don't worry about Harry, Felicia, Marie-Ange, your money, Randy's dance video, classes, anything else. You and your mother come first. I know how much you can let these things get to you."

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #12

"TARGET PRACTICE"

_

* * *

_

I sit back and read the newspaper, pleased to see that my little stunt at the Libertine has attracted attention. It's not front page news, of course (the latest round of debates on overturning

Jameson v. Kelly _does that, with Jameson predictably wrapping himself in the Bill of Rights and accusing Senator Kelly of running the Constitution through a paper shredder), but being on page six still suggests that it was shocking to most of my fellow diners that night. _

_After finishing my breakfast, I turn on the television and turn to the business channel, where Norman Osborn is skillfully deflecting questions about the safety of his operations, insisting that the investigations into his supposed illegal chemical dumping are baseless and that he will be vindicated. I can't help but laugh at this, given everything I've heard about Oscorp over the last few years. Even so, Osborn is a master of spewing bullshit and making it seem like sugar-he'd have made a hell of a politician. _

_It's as I'm thinking this that I boot up the computer and begin writing my first logbook entry: _

**Entry #1: **

**The Hover Disc is in perfect working order, as does the voice distorter and other aspects of the pumpkin mask. The Jack O' Lantern equipment provides full disguise capabilities such that the operator is not subject to having his or her true identity compromised. **

**I find the reaction of my fellow diners to have been extremely pleasing, my frightful appearance as Jack O' Lantern and my unusual behavior leaving them unsure whether to expect a murderous attack or enjoy their meals in peace. I now understand the appeal of functioning as a costumed hero or villain, considering the reaction of ordinary people to my strange costume and outlandish name. My initial suspicions were confirmed in that these citizens, faced with something outside their own familiar experiences, reacted with fear and suspicion. **

**For myself, I realize that it is very liberating to be able to exercise my own passions to the fullest, ironically using a mask of my own to strip away the masks of others and forcing them to reveal their reactions when they encounter someone entirely different than what they themselves deem acceptable and worthwhile. Such outward images are nothing more than that, hypocritical facades created to hide one's true self. **

**With Phase One of the testing having been successfully completed, I will now proceed to Phase Two, employing the Jack O' Lantern weaponry in an assault on Osborn Industries. Indeed, in this testing I may force Osborn to reveal any masks he himself wears...**

_I can't keep myself from chuckling as I save and close the file. Who could have ever guessed how much fun you could have with a mask, and a costume, ironically using costumes and secrets to reveal the truth and strip away the façade?_

* * *

The Argent Room may not have been the most well-known club in New York, but Kitty Pryde liked it that way. Not liking big parties or loud rave scenes, she found the Argent Room, which featured a number of good-sized rooms that could be booked for parties, much more suited to her tastes. She was fortunate in that her cousin Ben Reilly felt that way too, and she had had little difficulty convincing him to get their parents rent one of the rooms for his birthday. Everyone had already shown up-Harry Osborn, Liz Allan, Randy Robertson, Julia Winhill, Kenny Anderson, Bruce "Kong" McFarlane, Gwen Stacy, and…well, _almost _everyone had shown up. It would be nice if-

"Hi, MJ!" Kitty greeted Mary Jane as she entered the club. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Hey Kitty," Mary Jane smiled. "Sorry I'm late."

"Oh, it's no problem," Kitty assured her. "We just got started, actually. Benny-"

"Hello, ladies!" a familiar voice interrupted, as Kenny Anderson strolled over to them, a big grin on his face. "This can't possibly be right-two gorgeous women with no one to dance with. Might I humbly offer my services to rectify the situation?"

"Maybe if we find someone who doesn't spend all his time baking-" Mary Jane began, before Kitty frowned at her and a wounded look crossed Kenny's face. Really, what was the harm in it?

"What the hell, sure," Mary Jane sighed in mock tones, as Kenny jumped up and down eagerly. "This doesn't mean we're going steady or anything, though."

"Good thing my deposit on the ring was refundable," Kenny laughed as they made their way to the dance floor.

Much to her surprise, Mary Jane actually enjoyed herself dancing with Kenny, even cracking a smile at his hopelessly inept moves. He didn't so much dance as randomly flail around, apparently not caring that he looked more like he was having a seizure than actually keeping time with the rhythm. After a minute or so, however, he began to slow down and shift his attention to watching Mary Jane dance. At first annoyed, she soon felt almost…flattered?

The song ended, after which Kenny took a bow in thanks and walked away to talk to Julia, much to Mary Jane's relief owing to her hunger. Walking over to the buffet table and getting some dinner, Mary Jane turned around and recoiled in surprise as she almost bumped into Gwen Stacy, girlfriend of Peter Parker. Mary Jane had dated Peter a couple of times in her first year of university, and a part of her still found him pretty cute…but they just hadn't clicked, what with his being too into science and her being too into theater.

"Mary Jane," Gwen greeted Mary Jane cautiously.

"Gwen," Mary Jane replied guardedly. "I didn't know you knew Kitty."

"I don't, really," Gwen answered. "I'm friends with her cousin Ben. The Reillys and my family go way back."

"Peter didn't make it tonight?" Mary Jane asked.

Gwen's eyes seemed to twitch at this.

"He couldn't make it," she said, sipping at a glass of punch. "He said he had some sort of work to take care of at the Bugle."

Try as she might, Gwen couldn't disguise the frustration in her voice.

"Say, where is this Ben Reilly guy, anyway?" Mary Jane began. "I've never met him before. Kitty was the one who invited me, and I just wanted to thank him."

"I'll introduce you," Gwen offered, as she led Mary Jane over to where another group of people were conversing. Mary Jane recognized Liz and Randy, who both greeted her warmly as she came up to them, along with a tall, thin handsome blonde boy in his early twenties with gleaming blue eyes, and an older brown-haired man with a chiseled physique and rakishly handsome looks, whose eyes shone just as brightly as the blonde boy's, except that his were green. The two men were introduced to Mary Jane as Ben Reilly, the man of the hour whose birthday was being celebrated, and his uncle Steve.

"I thought you were Kitty's uncle," Mary Jane began as they shook hands.

"I am," Steve grinned. "My sisters married Kitty's and Ben's fathers."

"So how about you?" Randy asked him. "Are you married?"

"Only to my job," Steve rolled his eyes. "Being an engineer at Hammer Labs doesn't leave you a lot of time to socialize. Looks like I'll be the only one with the name Levins for quite a while," he laughed.

Steve was about to say something else, before Gwen asked him about his work at Hammer Labs. Liz and Randy moved to follow, eager to listen, before Ben broke away from the group and advanced towards Mary Jane.

"So, you're Kitty's friend?" Ben asked her. "The one who's helping Randy with his tap film?"

"Yeah," Mary Jane nodded. "It was no problem-I've been dancing since I was three."

"You definitely looked like it out on the dance floor," Ben grinned. "Is that what you're majoring in?"

"No, I'm in Drama," Mary Jane replied. "How about you?"

"Medical school," Ben replied. "I'd really like to become a doctor."

"A doctor?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Sure," Ben replied. "I mean, if anything it's getting worse out there. We had enough problems with diseases, disasters and poverty, but now we've got crazed supervillains who are trying to take over the world when they're not trying to blow it up. You'd be surprised how many people get hurt when those psychos try and knock over a bank, set off a bomb or conquer a city or country."

"No, I wouldn't," Mary Jane said, shifting uncomfortably. "I've seen a lot of damage those costumed people can do."

"That's the thing, though," Ben said in a calmer tone. "As bad as things are now, think how much worse they'd be without the heroes trying to stop them."

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"I mean that I couldn't protect myself from the likes of the Red Skull or Doctor Doom," Ben replied. "I couldn't fight back against Doctor Octopus or Firebrand if they tried to kill me. I couldn't keep HYDRA or the Secret Empire from taking over the country or the world if they tried," Ben replied. "We've got all these heroes making an effort to protect us, who put themselves in harm's way time and again, all for nothing. At least soldiers and police officers get pay and benefit packages for doing it!"

Mary Jane just blinked at him in astonishment.

"And we all have our own parts to play," Ben continued. "I want to be a doctor because I want to help the people who've been hurt by those sick freaks. How about you? Why are you interested in acting?"

"It's just something I really like," Mary Jane answered, caught somewhat off guard by Ben's little speech, "stepping into different roles, letting different parts of your personality out, stuff like that. I've always been interested in that."

"Yeah, Kitty mentioned how you're in her Drama class," Ben replied. "She also told me about how you're in that documentary Randy's filming for another one of his classes. How'd you get caught up in that?"

"One of Randy's original dancers broke her foot, and Kitty recommended he ask me if I know someone who I could take her place. I offered to do it myself-like I said before, I've been doing it almost since I learned how to walk."

"It sure shows," Ben grinned, as Mary Jane blushed in spite of herself. "You must have to beat the guys off with a stick."

"I don't need a stick," Mary Jane said, an edge coming into her voice. "I'm a third-degree blackbelt."

"Cool," Ben grinned without flinching. "Uncle Steve is a sixth-degree blackbelt."

"Did he used to be in the military?" Mary Jane asked.

"No, he's just always been a fitness buff," Ben laughed. "He's always either working out, watching those stupid horror films, or tinkering in his home workshop. But, really, who is the lucky guy anyway?"

Mary Jane was caught off guard at this.

"I…don't have a boyfriend," she finally said in embarrassment.

"Come again?" Ben asked in surprise. "_You_ don't have a boyfriend?"

"Well, not right now," Mary Jane fumbled. "It's just that I'm really busy with school and work and everything else-"

"Huh, that's too bad," Ben half-smiled at her. "I-" he began, before a loud crash and screams interrupted him. Mary Jane and Ben both whirled in alarm to see the rest of the party guests scrambling before a massive hole that had just been blown in the wall, and the strangely garbed man walking through it. Dressed in purple and blue body armor, with large white boomerangs on his forehead, chest and belt, the man grinned widely as he came into the room, a boomerang in each hand.

"Don't any of you move now," the boomerang-wielding man said with a trace of an Australian accent. "This is what you'd call a hostage situation, and these little beauties-" he held up the boomerangs in his hands, "-will take your heads off if you move. So why don't you all be good little boys and girls and sit down, hmmm?"

"Who are you?" Ben finally mustered enough nerve to ask.

"Over here, web-slinger! I doubt you want anything to happen to these nice people!" the man called out to someone in the streets Mary Jane could not see, before turning back to the partygoers. "What are you, stupid?" he sneered at Ben. "The name's Boomerang, and you're all my insurance."

"I…Insurance?" Mary Jane heard Liz ask.

"I've got a bet going with a buddy of mine, sweetie," Boomerang smirked. "The first one of us to ice Spider-Man wins a cool-" he suddenly whirled around and tossed one of his boomerangs at the red-and-blue clad figure that was swinging down into the club on a webline.

The figure, instantly recognizable as the Amazing Spider-Man, twisted out of the way but couldn't totally avoid the missile, crying out in pain as it sliced across his back. Mary Jane was both surprised and horrified by the wounds Spider-Man had suffered, his costume already torn in several places and stained with blood from open cuts and wounds. Even as he fired a webline at Boomerang, Spider-Man was forced to roll out of the way of another missile, which seemed to fly into the room from outside and bury itself in the opposite wall. To Mary Jane's horror, the object was no bigger than a pencil-in fact, it _was _a pencil.

It was then that another figure ran into the club, a man clad in black body armor with white boots, gloves and belt, and a white symbol on the front of his mask that reminded Mary Jane of a bulls-eye.

"Nice touch, Boomerang!" the black-clad man complimented him as he threw another pencil at Spider-Man. "If you can't catch up with him, get him to come to you! Not that it'll help, of course!" he laughed out loud, this time picking up a dinner fork from a nearby table and throwing it at Spider-Man, who just barely ducked in time as the fork flew overhead and buried itself in the wall behind him.

As the black-clad man said this, Boomerang's attention was taken away from the partygoers for a second, prompting them to run for the exits in a blind panic, screaming in terror as they did. Several of the party guests managed to escape before Boomerang noticed, but the villain tossed another boomerang at Spider-Man before reaching down to his belt in one swift motion and tossing yet another boomerang behind him. As the boomerang flew through the air, it emitted a piercing scream, causing the people who were left to collapse, holding their ears in pain.

"Better yet, Bullseye," Boomerang grinned to the black-clad man. "Now we even get an audience to watch us as we work!"

Mary Jane froze for several seconds, her mind whirling as she tried to figure out what to do. In her mind's eye, she saw herself back in Ben Urich's townhouse, struggling feebly as the Constrictor twisted Phil Urich's head all the way around, breaking his neck like a dry twig.

She tried to move, but she was paralyzed.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kenny paralyzed with fear as a steak knife, thrown by Bullseye, passed by Spider-Man and flew straight towards him. Spider-Man gave a cry of dismay and tried to catch it with his webbing, but Bullseye threw a plate to deflect the webline. Without thinking, Mary Jane jumped forward and tackled Kenny, knocking him to the floor as the knife flew overhead.

With a shudder, Mary Jane realized it would have passed right between Kenny's eyes.

Her eyes flaring in rage, Mary Jane quickly glanced around. For the moment, Bullseye and Boomerang were too caught up in trying to kill Spider-Man to notice what she had done, and most of the other remaining party guests were watching with nervous anticipation or on their hands and knees, trying to overcome the disorienting scream of Boomerang's trick weapon.

It took less than a second for her to disappear.

* * *

If there was one thing Spider-Man truly regretted about having been bitten by that genetically engineered spider (besides being the primary target of J. Jonah Jameson's editorials protesting superhero vigilantism, anyway), it was the notoriety that had come with being one of New York's most famous costumed heroes. For years, the Incredible Hulk's reputation as being the strongest man on the planet had made him the target of every tough-guy supervillain out to establish a reputation, which had caused him no end of misery as they deliberately staged accidents, fights and other incidents to draw him out for a battle.

In Spider-Man's case, it had become the same thing. After having been featured in the _Daily Bugle _for so long and being involved in so many high-profile incidents in New York itself, the web-slinger had become the city's most famous hero, to the point where every two-bit thug with delusions of grandeur thought that he could make a name for himself by becoming "the guy who killed Spider-Man."

It even extended to supervillains, who viewed him as the standard by which most of the city's heroes and villains were judged. Such was the case with Boomerang and Bullseye, who by their own admission had gotten into a bar argument over which one of them was the better marksman, until they had finally decided to settle it by wagering on which of them killed Spider-Man first, the winner getting $100,000 of the other's money and recognition as the best marksman in the supervillain community.

So now, after he had responded to the mayhem the two villains had been causing, Spider-Man had spent the last hour and a half trying to keep Boomerang and Bullseye from killing not only him, but everybody else around them in a fight that had gone halfway across the city. Sweat stung his cuts and wounds, his breathing was starting to run ragged, and he was running low on web-fluid. As he rolled out of the way of the razorang Boomerang threw at him, Bullseye caught him across the back with a thrown glass, causing Spider-Man to cry out in pain and stumble. Grinning like two cats who had just caught a plump and juicy mouse, Boomerang and Bullseye raised their weapons for one final throw.

Right after they threw their weapons, Boomerang and Bullseye were shocked the weapons caught by a pair of thin strands that shot out from the side, entangling and dropping them harmlessly to the ground before they could hit Spider-Man. Whirling around in surprise, they saw a stunning young woman with long dark hair in a red and gold costume, strands of webbing falling from her hands. The two men leered and grinned at her.

"Whoa, baby!" Bullseye grinned, as Boomerang wolf-whistled at her. "So you're this new spider-chick everybody's talking about! You Spider-Man's girlfriend or something?"

"Let him go," Spider-Woman said calmly as she advanced on the two men, her hands glowing with her sting blasts.

"Dreadfully sorry, sweetheart," Boomerang smirked, "but we've got a bet going to see which of us is the better thrower. This is between gentlemen, you know!" he grinned, tossing another boomerang at Spider-Woman that exploded into flames as it roared at her. As Spider-Woman rolled out of the way, she sprayed the flaming boomerang with her webbing, smothering the fires and knocking it to the ground as she fired a sting blast at Bullseye. The black-clad killer cursed and rolled out of the way, as he picked up another glass and flung it at Spider-Woman. The arachnid heroine tried to dodge, but Bullseye lived up to his name as the glass struck her in the shoulder, causing her to stumble and cry out in pain.

"That's pretty sportsmanlike of you, Bullseye!" Spider-Man said mockingly, leaping to his feet as he got a second wind. "Two of you, one of her! Mind if I even the odds?"

Boomerang and Bullseye glanced around first at each other, then at the two heroes around them, and then at the few remaining partygoers, who were now fleeing with the villains distracted. Almost instantly, they sprung into action, Boomerang shifting his attention to Spider-Woman while Bullseye threw a spoon at Spider-Man. The two spiders were virtual mirror images of each other as they sprang out of the way, boomerang and spoon burying themselves in the wall behind them.

Spider-Woman shot a sting blast at the next boomerang her opponent threw at her, which exploded in a flash of light, blinding her as Boomerang followed up with two more boomerangs, which caused her to cry out in pain as they tore into her leg and hip, before crackling with electricity that was conducted into her body as she stumbled from the blow. Boomerang laughed out loud as he followed up with another boomerang that struck a table next to Spider-Woman, releasing tear gas that began to fill the room and caused the young heroine to begin gagging as tears formed in her eyes and her head began to swim.

"Not much of a challenge, really," Boomerang commented with a smile, lowering the specially made boomerang on his forehead over his mouth and nose, which was designed to function as a gas mask. "You're a pretty little thing, sure, but these are the big leagues, girl. You won't go first, though-once Spider-Man finishes with Bullseye, he'll be easy prey. I'll let you see how a real professional does it," he grinned, taking another boomerang from his belt, preparing to turn around and attack Spider-Man while Bullseye had him distracted.

On her hands and knees, Spider-Woman coughed, as she remembered the Constrictor and how easily he had killed Phil Urich.

"Shut up!" she screamed, springing to her feet and tearing the electrorangs out of her body and starting to hold her breath. Boomerang was caught completely off guard as she tagged him with a webline and reeled him in to slam against her fist, staggering back in pain as he deflected her sting blasts with another pair of boomerang throws.

"That's the way you want to play it?" he grinned wickedly. "Fair enough then-Spider-Man can handle Bullseye while I finish with you. Maybe then you'll learn a little respect?"

* * *

Bullseye cursed in frustration as Spider-Man easily caught the plates he threw in his webbing, tossing them back in a flail that cost the killer another shot as he was forced to dodge.

"You sure you don't need glasses?" Spider-Man quipped as he leapt forward and tagged Bullseye with a punch to the gut that sent him crashing back into a table. "No wonder you got kicked out of the major leagues!"

"That was Boomerang, you idiot!" Bullseye shouted in anger, only managing to tag Spider-Man in the leg with a piece of table before Spider-Man struck him again. "God, don't you ever shut up?"

"What? And disappoint my public?" Spider-Man grinned, before he saw the tear gas coming towards them from Boomerang's weapon. Using some of what little webbing he had left, Spider-Man sprayed a layer of webbing over the lower part of his face, shielding his mouth and nose from the gas's effects. Being the chemistry expert that he was, Spider-Man had long since modified his webbing to make an effective shield against attacks from different types of gases while still enabling him to breathe freely, something he had learned after his first encounter with Mysterio.

As Bullseye began to cough, hacking and cursing Boomerang at the same time, Spider-Man pressed the attack, pummeling the black-clad killer as he scrambled for anything he could hope to throw. His luck soon ran out, as Spider-Man finally punched him to crash into the wall of the club, where he slumped down unconscious. After reloading in fresh webbing cartridges, it was a simple matter to web Bullseye up for the police he could already hear coming.

* * *

Boomerang stepped back as Spider-Woman advanced on him, fire in her eyes, still holding her breath from the tear gas. The screamarang he had thrown had been stifled by webbing, and his razorangs shattered by sting blasts. Looking around desperately, he saw Kitty Pryde and Harry Osborn, still gagging from the effects of the tear gas. Retrieving another boomerang from his belt, the assassin glanced over at them quickly, forcing Spider-Woman's attention to follow them.

"One more step, spider-bitch, and I blow them to kingdom come with this shatterang," he threatened. "I leave nice and slow, and we pick up this little feud some other time, got it?" Jumping into the air, Boomerang activated his boot jets and took to the air, making his way towards the exit as he threw the shatterang behind him anyway, even as he tossed a bladarang at Spider-Woman to distract her.

Whirling around and spraying a double blast of her webbing, Spider-Woman caught the shatterang before it struck her friends, smothering the resulting explosion under several thick layers. As she twisted out of the way of the bladarang, she felt it tear across her back anyway, but gritted away the pain. With Kitty and Harry out of danger, she ran to the hole in the wall and out of the club, taking a breath of fresh air as she saw Boomerang taking to the air. Firing another webline, she caught Boomerang in the back, using her wall-crawling powers and superhuman strength to maintain a firm grip on the ground as Boomerang struggled to escape. The killer pulled out yet another boomerang, but Spider-Woman was faster, striking him dead center in the chest with another sting blast from her free hand, stunning Boomerang as she relentlessly reeled him back down to ground level before wrapping him up in several more layers of webbing and hauling him back into the club.

Spider-Man was waiting for her as she came in and unceremoniously dumped the unconscious Boomerang next to Bullseye. The two spiders stood staring at each other for several moments as the police finally arrived, taking the two unconscious criminals and loading them into the back of a police wagon.

"Well?" Spider-Man asked.

"Well what?" Spider-Woman demanded.

"Who are you, and why are you stealing my moniker?" Spider-Man asked her pointedly.

"I don't see how I could do anything else," she replied coldly.

"What do you mean?" he blinked in surprise.

"I mean exactly what I said," Spider-Woman replied, as her hands suddenly snapped up and sprayed Spider-Man's face full of webbing. Weary after his long battle and in pain from his injuries, Spider-Man couldn't react in time as he was temporarily blinded. It only took him a few seconds to peel the webbing off his mask, but by then Spider-Woman was long gone.

"Which way did she go?" he asked one of the police officers, who had been too stunned by Spider-Woman's actions to react.

"Out the back," the cop shook his head, "but you'll never catch her. She was like the wind."

Even then, Spider-Man realized, the day probably wouldn't be a total loss, as he discreetly took some of Spider-Woman's webbing for chemical analysis, storing it in one of the segments on his belt he kept for just such an occasion. With its special lining, it would preserve the webbing for as long as he needed it to, no matter how soon it might dissolve.

* * *

"Well, how does it look?" Ben Parker asked his nephew Peter as he finally emerged from his home laboratory in the basement that night.

"It doesn't make any sense," Peter replied, his brow furrowed in thought.

"What do you mean?" Uncle Ben asked him.

"Her webbing's chemical composition is completely different from mine," Peter replied. "Mine is artificial, made up of chemical compounds that simulate the strength and adhesiveness of real spider-webbing. But hers…it's like the real deal! It's made of biological material, it's got the same tensile strength and ductility of real spider silk, it's adhesive. What I do with science, she does with…well…biology!"

"Like I said before, maybe she's a mutant," Uncle Ben suggested.

"Then why are so many of her powers just like mine?" Peter wondered. "She's just as fast and just as strong, and she has the same wall-crawling abilities that I do."

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" Uncle Ben ventured.

"There's no such thing as a coincidence in science," Peter insisted. "There's no way she could have so many powers similar to my own, even if some of them are different."

"So what's the verdict?" Uncle Ben asked him.

"I don't know yet," Peter said in frustration. "There's something missing here, I just know it, but I'm not sure what it is. And that still doesn't explain exactly who the hell she is, or why she's putting on a costume of her own."

* * *

It had been a simple enough matter for Mary Jane to bind her wounds with webbing and retrieve her street clothes before returning to Kitty and the rest of her friends, explaining that she had gotten separated from them in all the chaos. The party was postponed to next week, with most of the guests taking that Monday off to recover from being exposed to the tear gas. There was little rest for Mary Jane, however, as she met with Karen Page, her mother's divorce attorney, in preparation for the divorce hearing going on the next day.

The tension in the Third District Courthouse that Tuesday could have been cut with a knife, as Phillip Watson and his attorney Donald Menken sat down across from Mary Jane and Karen Page. The two sides stared at one another intently, before the judge came in and swore everyone in.

In contrast to the last few days, Mary Jane was calm, focused and collected, prepared for the part she had to play in the trial. Everything had been worked out with Karen Page beforehand, from explaining that Maddie Watson was unable to attend due to stress and illness, and explaining Phillip's adultery and abandonment, kicking Maddie and Mary Jane out of the house. She knew full well that Menken would ask for further proof from Maddie, and so she and Page had come prepared for the trial with considerable evidence to back them up, in the form of affidavits and testimony from several of the call girls and prostitutes Phillip had cheated on Maddie with.

Mary Jane nearly fell out of her chair, then, when after Karen Page had made her opening arguments, citing a long list of Phillip Watson's sins and the rationale behind the divorce filing, she heard Menken's opening arguments.

"Your Honor, the plaintiffs clearly have a substantial case against them, and so my client will not argue against it," Menken said in a voice that oozed sincerity. "Indeed, he admits that much of the fault is on his own side, when one considers the deplorable actions taken against his loved ones. Mr. Watson deeply regrets these acts, and has attempted to rectify his situation by continuing to support them even after his wife's departure. He has continued to financially support his wife after their separation, and continued to pay for his daughter's education. My client fully admits his fault in this divorce, and will readily assent to his marriage's dissolution."

Mary Jane and Karen Page were both too stunned to react for several seconds, before the hearing continued over the next three days. Mary Jane and Karen presented their evidence, very little of which was contradicted or even questioned by Menken, leaving them at first confused and uncertain of Phillip and Menken's strategies, or presenting much testimony of their own. Everything seemed to proceed matter-of-factly, with next to no testimony presented on Phillip's side.

That Friday afternoon, it became official. Phillip Watson was found at fault in the divorce, based on the grounds of adultery and abandonment, and the marriage was annulled. He was ordered by the court to continue paying alimony to Maddie Watson, which he readily agreed to do, even offering a higher sum than was originally stipulated in the judge's decision.

Through it all, Mary Jane was alternately confused, ecstatic, and suspicious as Karen Page hammered out the final details of the divorce. She couldn't understand why her father simply agreed to the divorce, not even bothering to deny the allegations. Unfortunately, they hadn't really been able to prove any allegations of abuse, as Maddie had never been able to work up the nerve to file a police report or even speak to anyone else about the violence, while Mary Jane simply hadn't been sure how to handle it.

It was only as they were filing out of the courtroom that Mary Jane and her father met face to face.

"A pity it had to end this way, Mary Jane," Phillip said, his eyes gleaming. "I had hoped it wouldn't come so far as this, but-"

"Spare me the speech," Mary Jane said contemptuously. "You just didn't want this to run on too long. Afraid it might drag your name through the mud?"

"_Our_ name, Mary Jane," Phillip raised an eyebrow. "And I really wish I could have been there for your last birthday-what are you now, eighteen?"

"Nineteen," Mary Jane commented acidly.

"Oh my, yes, where does the time go?" Phillip sighed. "At least this made the transition a little less painful for us all, what without the questions of child support or custody. You're a young woman now, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane said slowly.

"The postal service is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Phillip said, before he walked out the door to his waiting limousine.

* * *

It was in checking her mail that afternoon that Mary Jane saw the large, thick envelope from Empire State University, marked with a large _URGENT _stamp. She couldn't help but start to breathe heavily as she opened it, her hands trembling as she did so.

_Dear Ms. Watson: _

_It has come to our attention that the payment for your tuition fees in the amount of $4,500 has been cancelled in full, as per an order of the bank of one Mr. Phillip Watson. We therefore regret to inform you that your tuition fees are now in arrears and you owe an additional $500 in late payment penalties. Should you not provide this money by the 28__th__ of February, all courses will be deleted from your Winter Term schedule, and you will not be allowed to schedule new courses until such time as your outstanding fees are paid. _

The letter continued on for another paragraph or so, but Mary Jane could not read it as she struggled to contain a boiling rage that turned her complexion as fiery red as her hair. Taking several deep breaths as she tried to calm herself, Mary Jane inadvertently saw the other piece of mail she had received that day, a notice from her landlady noting that her rent was due by the end of next week.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

The tears came, one at a time, slowly but steadily. Mary Jane didn't scream or cry, just sat back and let the tears fall.

She couldn't do anything else.

_**You hate, you scream, you swear,**_

_**And still you never reach him…**_

_**You curse, you try to scare, **_

_**But you can never teach him…**_

**-ABBA, "Elaine"**

_(__**Next Issue: **_As Mary Jane learns the true depths of her father's plotting, she finds that their effects are worse than she expected. That turns out to be the least of her problems, however, when the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants kidnaps Maddie, Aunt Anna and Kristy Watson, intending to use them to strike at Phillip for his anti-mutant agendas! When Mary Jane tries to rescue them as Spider-Woman, she learns a stunning truth that turns her entire life upside down! All this and more in the first _Spider-Woman Annual: Collateral Damage! _Guest-starring the Uncanny X-Men!_)_


	14. Annual 1: Collateral Damage

* * *

Mary Jane Watson rubbed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. Sitting at a table in the Empire State University registrar's office, Mary Jane was filling out a series of application forms for financial aid, having suddenly found herself owing more than $5,000 in tuition after her father had cancelled the payments he had been making for her. Aunt Anna had helped explain many of the forms to her, but filling them out was still a massive headache.

Now, of course, having been forced to borrow all this money to pay her tuition, she was not only going to be broke but up to her eyes in debt, since unless she found more modeling or acting work, she would have no other way of paying her tuition and other bills. Mary Jane had already become resigned to the fact that she'd have to move back in with Aunt Anna, Kristy and her mother, given how she'd no longer be able to make rent payments on her apartment.

She was brought out of her reverie by a familiar voice who cut in on her, half in surprise and half in amusement.

"I never thought I'd see you here," the man behind her remarked, as Mary Jane got up and turned around to see who was talking to her. "It just goes to show you, the economy's hitting our nation's Prom Queens just as hard."

Mary Jane glared at Harry Osborn, who only smiled in response.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN ANNUAL #1

"COLLATERAL DAMAGE"

* * *

"Don't even start with me, Harry," Mary Jane muttered, as she moved to sit down again. "I have enough problems without having to deal with your crap."

"Funny, I could say the same thing about you," Harry retorted, not backing down an inch. "And that's not the only thing-remember how you told me about how Liz was a saint in putting up with my bullshit? Well, you were right…but again I could say the same thing about Liz being a saint in putting up with your crap, too."

Mary Jane recoiled in surprise.

"…What do you mean?" she asked slowly, no anger in her voice this time.

"You know exactly what I mean," Harry told her bluntly. "That's all you ever do when you're with Liz, complaining about your problems and snapping at her when she tries to help you."

Mary Jane had no response to this at first.

"…You don't know what my father's been putting us through," she finally said defensively.

"You think you're the only one with problems?" Harry asked her. "According to my old man, I'm a disgrace to the family name. Kitty still has to put up with mutant bigots harassing her. Peter Parker has to work two jobs to be able to afford to come to ESU. And you think Liz has forgotten how her sister died in that molten metal accident?"

"I…" Mary Jane began, before she sat back in silence. Her first reflex was to snap back at Harry, but as she thought more about it, she realized he was right.

_I haven't exactly been Friend of the Year, _she thought to herself. _Blowing off Randy when he asks me out, not listening to Kitty or Liz when they might want to get something off their chests…_

Her calm, contemplative look told Harry everything he needed to know.

"And like I said before," he finally added, "you were right about me not treating Liz the way I should. Makes you wonder what she ever saw in either of us," he said with a half-smile, before he headed for the exit.

Mary Jane watched him go, before shifting her attention back to her application forms. Her frustration began to rise up again, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Taking a long, hard look at the papers in front of her, she set back to work on them with a renewed vigor.

* * *

Consolidated Edison, or "Con Ed" as it was commonly referred to by New Yorkers, was one of the biggest energy companies in the world, supplying energy to millions of customers in New York City itself and the surrounding Westchester County, possessing billions in assets and employing a small army of workers.

So many people worked for Con Ed, coming and going at all hours, that one employee more or less attracted little notice. Everything about this particular nondescript individual checked out, from his perfect ID to his well-worn uniform, confident gait, and thick New York accent, none of which brought him any questioning as he talked his way into looking at the company's computer records, explaining that he needed to find the addresses of several clients who had requested he come out on service calls.

With the help of the communications staff, it didn't take him long to retrieve the information, notably the law offices of Nelson, Page and Murdock, Attorneys at Law; the radio station HABQ-FM, well-known for The Boys Outta Brooklyn and their entertainment news and talk show _Better in the Dark; _the residence of Ronald Andrews of Greenwich Village, and the Forest Hills residence of Anna Watson.

In truth, the worker didn't care too much about the other addresses, having merely gotten them to keep anyone from guessing his true purposes.

All that mattered was knowing where Anna Watson and her family lived.

* * *

"Oh, this is beautiful!" Roderick Kingsley gushed as his photographers took pictures of Mary Jane and her fellow models in an upscale studio, as they posed for the new Red Lavender fragrance. For whatever reason, Kingsley had insisted on being there personally to supervise the session, something that made Mary Jane distinctly uncomfortable, despite the fact that she badly needed the money she would be getting from this session, if she hoped to continue her studies at ESU. Her emotions registered clearly to the photographers, the intense, piercing look on her face being exactly what Kingsley had been hoping for.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies…" Kingsley finally said as they wrapped up for the day, "this went better than I could have possibly hoped for. I'm going to make a fortune off Red Lavender, and I owe it all to you three lovelies," he smiled winningly. "As my little way of saying 'thanks', here are your paychecks, with a little bonus on top of that. And again, I'll be holding auditions for my new summer collection in a few weeks, so be sure to look me up!" he finished, as Daniel handed Mary Jane and the other models their paychecks.

Mary Jane proceeded to follow the other models out, but Kingsley called out to her and asked her to wait. Forcing herself to stop, she turned around and walked back towards Roderick, who was deep in discussion with his brother about something.

"…yeah, that whole business at the Libertine was hilarious," Roderick was telling Daniel. "The look on Forrester's face was priceless…ah, Mary Jane!" he grinned as she came back. "I've got to say, you're one of the best I've seen in years. I've worked with Crawford, I've worked with Schiffer, I've worked with Klum, and you're on their level, sweetie. That's why I'm wondering if you'd be interested in a little offer I have in mind."

"And that would be?" Mary Jane asked, trying as hard as she could to avoid shuddering at Kingsley's smile, which reminded her more of a hungry crocodile's grin than anything else.

"Some more modeling work with my summer line coming up," Kingsley replied. "You've got a natural beauty that isn't seen very much, and I know you'd be perfect for some of my upcoming designs. It wouldn't be a permanent thing, mind you, just some additional work. What do you say?"

Mary Jane weighed her options. The idea of spending any more time at all around Kingsley made her skin crawl, and she hated the idea of taking time away from school. On the other hand, any money she'd make would certainly be a big help, as would the boost she'd be getting for her career by working with Kingsley…

"…I'd need to think about it," she finally demurred, shaking her head. "I have a lot of other things I need to take care of, like school and-"

"Say no more," Kingsley said winningly, although Mary Jane noticed his eyes flare for a moment. "Here's my card-just give me a call when you make your decision."

More than a little relieved to be leaving, Mary Jane took the card and headed for the door, hoping that her looks didn't betray her emotions.

She could still feel Kingsley's stare following her out.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Anna Watson was asking Karen Page as they sat in Page's office the next afternoon, discussing the arrangements for Phillip Watson's alimony payments to his now ex-wife Maddie.

"I'm afraid so," Karen sighed. "The way our tax laws work is that alimony counts as income for the spouse that receives it, and the one that pays can deduct it from his own taxes. With the amount that Phillip will be donating, he'll get a substantial tax credit, while Maddie might end up owing money, even though she hasn't been working. That's probably why your brother made an offer higher than was set by the courts-it gives him a better tax situation, and it puts more pressure on Maddie."

"Damn him," Anna muttered. "And there's nothing we can do?"

"No," Karen shook her head sadly. "I'm so sorry, Anna…I never expected him to pull these kinds of tactics. I thought he'd fight every step of the way and-"

"It's alright," Anna reassured her gently. "I never expected this either. You did your best, and-"

"And I'm working _pro bono _on this," Karen told her. "Your family needs the money more than I do, and I don't feel right taking any payment after the way I handled this case."

"Thanks, Karen," Anna smiled at her. "I'm just worried about how Mary Jane will react."

"How do you mean?" Karen asked.

"There's not much she can do to help Maddie," Anna replied, "and I can imagine how she must be feeling. She's just like her mother that way-she always hated to see people suffer, and it's even worse when you're powerless to help them."

"Powerless," Karen said grimly as she leaned back in her chair. "It's funny how that word always seems to come back to us, doesn't it?"

* * *

While her aunt was meeting with Karen Page, and Kristy Watson was keeping Maddie company at home, Mary Jane had returned to the university to clear up her outstanding tuition debts with the money she had gotten from the Kingsley job. She had managed to pay off everything she owed, but after what she would need to pay in groceries and rent for the next month, she'd be back to square one.

Lost in thought, she barely caught herself in time to avoid running into Randy Robertson, whose face brightened as he recognized her and she half-smiled in return.

"Fancy running into you here," Randy grinned at her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Paying off my outstanding tuition debts," Mary Jane sighed. "At this rate, I'll be lucky-" she suddenly stopped herself, before changing the subject. "What are you doing here? You got tuition payments due too?"

"No, I'm just here to pay the fees I owe for renting some of the University's equipment in making my tap documentary," he replied. "It turned out better than I could have expected-I'll get an A for sure."

"Congratulations," Mary Jane smiled at him. "I'm so glad to hear it."

"Hey, without you there wouldn't even be a video," Randy told her. "I would have been screwed without your stepping in to take that other dancer's place."

"It was no problem," she answered. "Besides, it's a good way to stay in practice, and add something to my resume."

"By the way, how'd that Kingsley audition go?" Randy asked.

"Better than I expected," she said. "I actually got the job, and finished the shoot just yesterday, but Kingsley creeped me out. I'd rather not work with him again unless I absolutely have to."

"Well, I've got something you might like better," he replied. "That production of _A Streetcar Named Desire _was put off again, but this time the director's finally got everything taken care of and auditions are next weekend. I was thinking of trying out-you want to join me?"

"Is it paying?" she asked, before Randy nodded. "Then sure, I'll be happy to go."

"What are you doing afterwards?" he asked.

"I haven't planned that far ahead," Mary Jane said. "I'll probably need to study for midterms and all that."

"Come on, there are better ways to spend a Saturday night," he chided her. "How about getting some dinner and catching a movie afterwards?"

"…Didn't we already go through this scenario?" Mary Jane asked him, raising an eyebrow. "You're asking me out again, aren't you?"

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Randy smiled.

"Especially not when you actually succeed," she smiled back at him, as his eyes lit up eagerly.

"You mean-" he started.

"Yeah, I do," Mary Jane replied, "but we're going to have to go somewhere cheap. I'm a little strapped for cash right now…"

"So what?" Randy blinked in surprise. "What kind of a gentleman would I be if I expected a lady to pay for herself on the first date?"

Now it was Mary Jane's turn to blink in surprise.

"Thanks Randy…for everything," she finally managed, as her features softened. "I appreciate it, I really do."

"No problem," he winked at her. "See you then…"

* * *

The downtown plant was one of Osborn Industries' largest factories, kept running 24 hours a day by workers who each came in and took eight-hour shifts. Tonight was no exception, as the clock neared midnight and the next group of workers were coming in to take their shift. Everything seemed like just another night working at Oscorp, punching in and serving eight hours before punching out again.

At least, that's how it would have been if the ceiling skylight hadn't been blown open by a concussion grenade, sending shards of glass falling down towards the shocked workers' heads. Temporarily caught off guard, the workers began scattering as more grenades began flying through the now-jagged hole in the ceiling. Those that remained were suddenly frozen with shock as they saw the figure plummeting into the factory, dressed in dark green armor covered in skulls and paintings resembling skeletal limbs, topped off with a grisly flaming pumpkin for a head, riding a flying platform suspended in midair and ringed with what looked like human skulls.

Jack O'Lantern laughed hysterically as he flew about, firing electrical bolts from the blasters on his wrists while throwing pumpkin-shaped grenades everywhere. Explosions and fires followed in his wake as the workers scattered for dear life, some trying to call the police and the fire department while others simply intended to clear out as soon as possible. Several near-misses followed as Jack O'Lantern's blasts and bombs exploded dangerously close to several workers, who just barely managed to avoid the costumed villain's attacks.

Finally, Jack O'Lantern emerged from the factory, still riding his skull-ringed platform. Looking down with satisfaction at the scattering, screaming workers, he then aimed his electrical wrist blasters at the blank wall of the factory itself. Giggling like an overgrown child, he began blasting at the wall, leaving a long, black burn mark carved into the wall. The pumpkin-headed lunatic continued carving at the wall, until he had inscribed _**JACK O'LANTERN WAS HERE **_on the wall.

His expression never changed, but he seemed to emanate a satisfied smile as he surveyed his handiwork. As he burst out laughing again, Jack O'Lantern took off into the night, his laughter lost on the night wind.

* * *

**Entry #2: **

**My other field equipment is combat-ready and possesses all the destructive capacity I had expected, ranging from my explosive grenades to my wrist-blasters. Even my ghost grabbers and sonic toads were as effective as I had expected, incapacitating many of the workers in the factory, although naturally I never had the intention of actually slaying them or destroying the entire building. **

**I must confess, Phase Two was much more fun than I had initially expected. The uncertainty of the diners at the Libertine was as nothing compared to the terror in the eyes of the factory workers as they ran for safety, like panicked animals desperate to escape an encroaching forest fire...an analogy I find myself particularly enjoying. **

**With the successful completion of Phase Two, I may now, for the moment, sit back and watch for confirmation of my initial suspicions. My unprovoked, unwarranted assault on Oscorp will doubtless lead to many questions and uncertainties, hopefully leading the participants to reveal their true forms behind the masks they work so carefully to maintain…**

**Of course, Phase Three will potentially be the most lucrative-and most rewarding-part of my experiment to date…**

_I find myself laughing again as I close the file and shut off my computer. I then turn around and look at the pumpkin mask sitting on the shelf behind me, and a wide smile crosses my face. _

* * *

Anna Watson eagerly took the popcorn out of the microwave, pouring it into a large bowl as Maddie cut up the butter they were going to melt and then pour on it. While they were not actually related, the two women were almost like sisters in many ways, sharing many interests, including their enjoyment of _Sex And the City _marathons, such as the one that was airing on cable tonight. Kristy was already sitting on the couch waiting for them, her bad case of the flu having prevented her from going out on Saturday night as she normally would have.

As Maddie heated the butter in the microwave, the doorbell rang. Slightly annoyed, Anna went to the front door to answer it, and looking through the peephole saw what appeared to be a pizza deliveryman. Frowning in irritation, Anna opened the door to pointedly tell the deliveryman that he must have had the wrong address.

What she saw as she opened the door stunned her. The deliveryman seemed to melt and then begin changing his shape, eventually taking on the form of a woman with dark blue skin, red hair, and yellow eyes, dressed in white with a belt of gold skulls around her waist. Behind her stood an even more bizarre sight, that of a silver-haired woman in body armor with _six _arms, all of which held bizarrely carved kris knives, which seemed to weave back and forth in a hypnotic dance.

"What-" Anna began in surprise, before the six-armed woman made several strange gestures. Anna felt a searing pain course through her body for a second, before she fell limp and collapsed in the arms of the blue-skinned woman.

Coming into the foyer to see what was going on, Maddie became as white as a sheet and ran back into the kitchen to phone the police, before a blue blur seemed to come out of nowhere, grabbing her and throwing her off balance. As Maddie tried to right herself, the blur slowed down into the form of a man wearing goggles and a strange blue bodysuit with the image of a saber drawn on the front. Grinning wickedly, the goggle-wearing man raised his hand to Maddie's ear and snapped his fingers, creating a miniature shockwave that stunned the older woman and allowed her to collapse into his arms. Setting her down gently, it took the man less than a second to run into the TV room and stun Kristy with another shockwave as she tried struggling to her feet and moving to another phone to call 911.

The blue-skinned woman marched into the house, dragging Anna Watson's limp form in her arms, followed by the six-armed woman in armor. Placing Anna down gently next to Maddie's body, she saw the blue-garbed man quickly join them, carrying Kristy's limp body in his arms. The blue-skinned woman nodded to the six-armed woman, who then made another series of gestures, making all six of them fade into nothingness.

* * *

Everything was a blur at first as Anna struggled to wake up. As she tried to stand, she suddenly realized she couldn't, as she found herself tied down to something. When her vision cleared, she saw herself sitting on a crate and securely chained to a large metal pillar. Maddie and Kristy were on either side, also bound to the pillar. As they looked around in alarm, the three women found themselves in what appeared to be some sort of underground bunker, with artificial lights built into the walls and ceiling. Everything was cold and bare reinforced concrete, with miscellaneous junk all over the floor and open doorways leading into other rooms.

The Watsons' attention was suddenly attracted to a loud booming sound coming from one of these doorways, sounding as if someone was approaching. It was then that they saw the looming shadow step through the doorway and reveal itself as the source of the sounds. The new arrival was a hugely fat man over seven feet tall, whose bulk jiggled as he walked into the room. Dressed in a pair of oversized coveralls and a large T-shirt with the words HUNGRY MAN printed on the front, the brown-haired man grinned as he set his eyes on the three women.

"Yo, they're awake!" the fat man called out in a booming voice, before he moved to sit down on another crate in the corner. It was then that the Watsons noticed he was carrying a large bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which he opened up before beginning to devour its contents, his table manners leaving much to be desired. The Watsons were fortunately spared having to watch him, as several other bizarre individuals walked into the room from either entranceway, led by the blue-skinned woman Anna had seen at the door before she had been knocked out.

"…What is all this?" Anna finally mustered the nerve to demand, as Kristy struggled against the chains and Maddie simply sat in silence. "Who are you people?"

"You don't know?" one of the people standing around them, a tall, skinny blond man dressed in a costume marked with bright orange and blood red flames, frowned in disappointment. "We really need to get a new press agent, Mystique."

"We won't need one after this, Pyro," the blue-skinned woman, presumably Mystique, grinned in reply. "And in response to your question," she addressed Anna, "we're the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Ah, I see that rings a bell," she said wryly as the Watson women paled. "Allow me to introduce the rest of the group…"

"The name's Pyro, me beauties," the man in the fire costume grinned. With a snap of his fingers, a flame appeared in his hand, which became a long streak passing into his other hand, before disappearing in a flash of sparks. "I create the fire, I control the fire, I _am _the fire."

"That gentleman over there," Mystique indicated the fat man, who was now well into his third piece of chicken, "is the Blob, appropriately enough. Don't let the flab fool you, he's actually quite strong," she finished, as the Blob gestured in mock welcome, all while continuing to chew.

"This is Super Saber," Mystique indicated the blue-garbed man in the goggles who had subdued Maddie and Kristy. "Faster than the proverbial speeding bullet."

"Avalanche," Mystique continued, pointing to a man dressed in bright steel armor with a manic look in his eyes, "more than lives up to his name with the earthquakes he causes. And anything you can do, the Crimson Commando can do better," Mystique finished, pointing to a black woman dressed in red Kevlar, whose hawk-like face was fixed with a cold glare.

"Stonewall," Mystique resumed speaking, as a large man with a thick moustache, dressed in a purple and gold costume that vaguely resembled the crenellations on top of a wall or tower, stepped into the light, "doesn't speak much, but his name should tell you all you need to know about his powers." In response, Stonewall punched the open palm of his free hand, his stone cold expression never changing.

"And lastly, we have Spiral," Mystique smiled, indicating the six-armed woman, who now continually danced from one foot to the other, "a master of the magical ether. Her dances invoke power, her dances _are _power."

"What do you want from us?" Kristy demanded.

"Justice," Mystique said simply. "Your uncle has been sponsoring the ongoing mutant genocide in this country, through his support of the Sentinel program and his financial contributions to the Friends of Humanity and anti-mutant activist Senator Robert Kelly," she continued in a sing-song voice, as if she had been reciting a speech. "We seek justice on the man known as your uncle, your brother, your husband."

"…Justice?" Kristy asked in amazement.

"Exactly," Mystique replied. "We seek to defend _homo superior _as the rightful heirs to this planet. Your father has been involved in the war on mutants, and now we're fighting back, to protect our people."

"Protect?" Anna asked in amazement. "Then why do you call yourselves evil?"

"Because we're the true face of mutantkind," Avalanche barked at her, a slight Greek accent apparent in his voice. "We are everything you fear, everything you hate. You baseline humans call us evil? Well then, that's what we'll be. You want a war between our peoples? Then we will give it to you. You will feel the pain, the suffering, the destruction we have been forced to endure at your hands."

"We're the evil mutants Kelly has been warning you about," Avalanche continued, his voice taking on a crazed edge. "We're the ones who will cleanse this planet. We're the next step in evolution, and we won't rest until the war is done and you all-"

"Enough!" Mystique snapped at Avalanche, who fell silent, although he continued to glare hatred at the women. "Avalanche is a tad overzealous sometimes, but he is correct nonetheless. You call us evil for defending ourselves, and taking the fight back to you…well in that case, evil is what we are. War between our peoples is inevitable, and we're just helping it along."

"So how's kidnapping us supposed to do that?" Kristy demanded.

"Simple," Mystique smirked. "We will reveal your uncle's contributions to the anti-mutant agenda, and offer Phillip Watson a chance to turn himself in to face our justice in exchange for your lives. He will have twenty-four hours to respond, after which we will, of course, summarily execute him, or you if he fails to come to us, in front of a live audience on the Internet, as a statement that mutants are not to be trifled with. In that way, of course, you will have died in the name of a good cause."

Mystique laughed at this, as did several other members of the Brotherhood, except for Stonewall, who stood impassively next to his leader, and the Blob, who was too busy working on his fifth piece of chicken to laugh.

Anna wasn't sure what chilled her more, the fact that she probably had less than a day to live, or that her only hope of survival rested on her brother Phillip.

* * *

Sunday morning saw Mary Jane sitting down in front of the TV as she set about looking at her bills, wondering which ones to pay with the money that was left over from that photoshoot with Roderick Kingsley. Sometimes she liked to put the TV on a music station or something similar, to provide background music as she did her homework.

It was while flipping past the local news channel that she saw a sight that sent a thrill of horror through her-her mother, Kristy and Aunt Anna, all tied up in a basement somewhere, their pleading faces visible despite the slightly grainy quality of the video that had been recorded and sent to all the news channels.

_"Phillip Watson has twenty-four hours to turn himself in and face mutant justice," _Mystique was saying, as the camera was directed back at her. _"Otherwise, these three ladies will have to serve in his place, as a warning to all those who would defy the mutant race. It is a pity, of course, but in war one must always expect collateral damage." _

Mary Jane sat frozen as the news show went back to the anchorman, who stated that Phillip Watson had not made any public statement, and in fact seemed to have mysteriously vanished. She hardly heard it as all the old anger, all the old fury, and all the old frustrations began boiling to the surface again. Her face was a mask of anger as she stood up, and began removing her street clothes to change into her Spider-Woman outfit.

It was then that she stopped. Images of her battles with the Brothers Grimm, with Polestar, and the Constrictor passed through her mind. She thought of Firebrand, and how she had nearly attacked Harry. Mary Jane then took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down and restrain her anger. Her spider-senses began prickling, and she knew she could track down her mother, Aunt Anna and Kristy, but she realized that simply charging in blindly against the Brotherhood would simply get herself, and more importantly all three of them, killed.

Mary Jane stood in silence for several minutes, thinking the matter over, before she finally came up with a solution.

She knew full well that she would be taking a dreadful risk of exposing herself if she went through with it, but at this point she didn't give a damn.

All that mattered were her mother, Aunt Anna, and Kristy.

* * *

Kitty Pryde was so absorbed in the horror of what she was seeing on the TV that she didn't hear the knock on the door at first. The second, more insistent knock startled her to the point where she ended up phasing through her chair and landing on the floor before she regained control of herself. Standing up, she walked over to the door and opened it to find Mary Jane standing there, a strange look in her eyes.

"Mary Jane, is that-" Kitty began.

"Yeah," Mary Jane replied. "All of it. My mother, my aunt, my cousin. The Brotherhood's going to kill them."

"I'm so sorry, MJ," Kitty said in concern. "But what are you doing here? Is there some way I could help?"

"Yes, there is," Mary Jane replied, desperation in her voice. "Do you still have a means of contacting the X-Men?"

"I…what?" Kitty asked in surprise. "Yes I do, but why would you-"

"I need to get in touch with them right away," Mary Jane insisted.

"Why?" Kitty asked.

"They're the only people who can save my family," Mary Jane said, "and I need to speak to them."

"What do you need them to tell you?" Kitty wondered, confusion on her face. "They're probably already trying to track the Brotherhood down, and they'll bring your family back."

"Kitty, please, I need to do this," Mary Jane pleaded, her eyes clouding over. "There's got to be something I can do!"

"But, Mary Jane…" Kitty shook her head.

"Kitty, if I can't speak to the X-Men, I'll never be able to forgive myself," Mary Jane continued.

Kitty simply looked into Mary Jane's eyes, and was stunned by what she saw.

"…Alright," Kitty finally conceded. "If it's that important, then I'll be happy to help."

"Thank you so much," Mary Jane smiled gratefully, her voice barely above a whisper. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"No problem, MJ," Kitty replied, offering a smile of her own. "I know how important family is," she finished, before going to retrieve the contact information.

"…And Kitty?" Mary Jane asked, when Kitty had told her how to contact them.

"Yeah?" Kitty asked, wondering what Mary Jane wanted now.

"I know I haven't been easy to get along with recently," Mary Jane said, regret crossing her face, "if I ever was to begin with. You've been a saint in putting up with my crap up to now, and I just wanted to thank you for everything. Whatever else happens, I want you to know that you're a true friend. And when this is over, I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Well, I'm glad to help," Kitty answered, somewhat caught off guard by Mary Jane's comments. "Are you going to be alright from here?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Mary Jane said, as her face began to brighten. "But I've gotta go now. See you soon, and thanks a lot!" she finished, her spirits renewed as she quickly turned around and ran down the hall.

Kitty simply stood there for a minute, wondering what Mary Jane could possibly have wanted in speaking with the X-Men, and what she meant by there being "something she could do."

* * *

"So, once again, can someone please explain to me why we're meeting with this spider-girl when we should be trying to track down the Brotherhood?" Warpath asked Cyclops as they stood with the rest of the X-Men in Central Park, waiting for Spider-Woman to arrive.

"She says she knows where we can find them," Cyclops reminded the young Apache, who stood almost a foot and a half taller than him. "And in a city the size of New York, the sooner we can find the Brotherhood, the sooner we can rescue the Watsons."

"Alright, so then how'd she get our contact information?" Warpath frowned.

Cyclops had no answer to that.

It was Storm that spotted Spider-Woman first, swinging from the trees as she came down to the appointed meeting spot. Jean Grey, Thunderbird, Forge, Iceman, and Rogue followed Cyclops and Warpath as they ran to join Storm. The X-Men surrounded Spider-Woman as she came down, their suspicion clearly evident in the looks they gave her.

"You're this Spider-Woman person that's made the New York news recently, right?" Cyclops began, as Spider-Woman nodded in reply. "And you want to help us rescue those women the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants hostage?"

"That's right," Spider-Woman replied. "One of my own mutant powers is to mentally track people, no matter where they are. I have what you might call a "spider-sense", that lets me do it."

"You're a mutant?" Storm asked in surprise, as Spider-Woman nodded.

_That's odd, _Forge thought as he stood in silence, listening to the conversation. _I wonder why Cerebro hasn't identified her before now? Maybe it needs a tuneup, _he continued, before his attention returned to the conversation.

"So how did you get our secured line number?" Iceman demanded. "We only give it out to people we trust. And we've never had any reason to trust you."

"Does that really matter?" Spider-Woman demanded, her eyes flaring as she scowled back at him. "All that matters right now is-"

"-is if this isn't some sort of Brotherhood trap," Thunderbird snapped back at her.

"What?" Spider-Woman demanded, her voice rising in anger. "I'm just trying to help, and this is how you reply?"

"We've been burned more than once," Storm said quietly but firmly, which made Spider-Woman pause, "especially by people who claimed to be our friends. And why are you so insistent on aiding us, child? What is your stake in this matter? We have had no offers from the likes of Daredevil or Moon Knight, or any of this city's other heroes, and the expression on your face clearly belies your interest…"

Now it was Spider-Woman's turn to look suspicious.

"We all have secrets we need to protect," she said defensively, before taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I can tell you don't know where the Brotherhood and the hostages are. I do, and I can lead you to them, but I need to be able to help you. And you're right-I do have an interest in this, but that interest is my own."

Spider-Woman could see the X-Men still were not convinced, skepticism playing across their faces.

"How can I prove it?" she asked them, frustration in her voice.

"If you will allow me, I can read your mind," Jean Grey finally spoke up. "I will be able to see if you are telling the truth, and your intentions behind your contacting us. I can promise you that I will not delve into your personal memories or your secret identity."

"Either Jean can read your mind, or it's no deal," Cyclops said firmly. "Take it or leave it."

Spider-Woman nodded in agreement, a look of determination on her face as Jean activated her telepathic powers, linking with Spider-Woman's mind and reading her surface thoughts, while being careful to avoid gathering any more personal or intimate information. After a minute, Jean broke off the contact, nodding in agreement.

"She's telling the truth. She knows how to find the Brotherhood and the hostages, and we'll be able to count on her if things go bad," Jean concluded.

Everyone looked at Cyclops, waiting for his decision.

"…Alright," he finally agreed. "But I'm the field leader here. You have to follow my orders as long as you're working with us. Understood?"

"Will do," Spider-Woman nodded, as the tension in the X-Men's faces seemed to relax.

* * *

"It's definitely the Brotherhood," Forge sighed as he looked over the Cerebro monitor in the Blackbird. "I recognize their mutant DNA signatures. And judging by the way they're spread out, the hostages are probably there," he pointed out the room with his finger. As the X-Men's resident engineering genius, Forge has developed a number of useful gadgets for the team's use, including one that was able to scan a given area and map it on a computer monitor, along with the signatures of any mutant DNA present in the area.

"What is that place, anyway?" Thunderbird looked at it curiously.

"An abandoned underground SHIELD bunker," Forge replied without looking up. "More common than you might think-they use a front company as a way to build or renovate a given building, and pass it off as being legitimate, but construct a bunker underneath it where they keep all their fancy files and equipment. SHIELD no doubt abandoned it at some point, probably when the above-ground building was condemned. They cleaned the place out when they vacated, but the underground maze was still there. A perfect place for any supervillain group to hide out in."

"Cute," Iceman scowled. "Want to bet they've got every way in heavily guarded?"

"That's what we'll be counting on," Cyclops replied. "Thunderbird, you can short out the alarms, can't you?"

"You bet," the younger Apache grinned, as electricity sparked between his hands. Priding himself on being the "Native, good-guy version of Electro," Thunderbird had eagerly volunteered to join the X-Men along with his older brother Warpath some years ago, committing his powers to generate and control electricity wholeheartedly to Professor Xavier's dream.

"Hey, hold up now!" Rogue protested. "Ya'll can't be sayin' that we're just gonna walk straight in an' let the Brotherhood know we're comin'!"

Spider-Woman suddenly paled at the thought.

"Wait…no, you can't do this!" she said angrily. "The Brotherhood will kill the hostages! What the hell are you-"

"You're both forgetting the Brotherhood's goals," Storm reminded them both. "They want to graphically and visibly kill someone, either Phillip Watson or the rest of the Watson family, as part of one of their sick media statements. If they kill the hostages now, all they'll do is throw away their main bargaining chips. They need those women alive," she continued as Rogue and Spider-Woman both calmed down, Spider-Woman again taking a deep breath to force herself to relax.

"…So what's the plan?" Spider-Woman finally asked, her voice calm and steady.

* * *

"Mystique!" the Crimson Commando ran into the room where the hostages were being held.

"What is it?" Mystique demanded, hastily rising from her chair.

"The alarms," the Commando replied. "They've been shorted out, destroyed!"

"They think they're being clever," Mystique snorted in amusement, "hoping we won't be able to tell which way they're coming in."

"Who the hell are you talking about?" the Blob demanded, finishing up his last donut and throwing the empty box onto the pile of garbage he had created from various hamburger wrappers, pizza boxes, and buckets of fried chicken.

"The X-Men," Mystique smiled, as the rest of the Brotherhood except for Stonewall grinned in reply. "Spread out to every exit, and take no prisoners," said, before giving each member his or her marching orders, finally coming to Spiral.

"They might make a play for the prisoners while the rest of us are distracted," Mystique reminded her. "You stay here and guard them while we deal with the X-Men. And if everything else seems lost, and the X-Men are on the verge of winning…well, you can use your imagination on what to do next."

Spiral resumed her jerking, twitching dance as she laughed out loud, turning her sickly smile back on Anna, Kristy and Maddie Watson, still chained to the pillar in the center of the room.

None of the Watson women dared move a muscle.

* * *

It was in the main foyer, just above the stairs leading to the lower levels, that Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm were almost buried under the torrent of rubble that Avalanche generated, sending his vibratory powers right up the supporting columns and shattering the upper floors. Caught off guard, Jean just barely managed to generate a telekinetic shield above the X-Men to shield them from the collapsing masonry. Her head pounding with the effort, Jean needed a moment to regain her bearings, which was far too long when dealing with someone like Super Saber, who came racing up the stairs and struck her with a super-fast punch, instantly knocking her senseless.

An enraged Cyclops shot at him with his optic blasts, but Super Saber easily raced around it, grinning wickedly as Storm took to the air. Summoning her weather-controlling abilities, Storm generated an intense windstorm in the main part of the building, blowing Super Saber off his feet. She heard the loud rumbling sound and began dodging as Avalanche generated a second round of seismic waves, and was more than a little relieved to see Cyclops's optic blasts coming from below and blowing the falling debris apart before it could hit her. Now free to concentrate on Super Saber, she intensified her wind, finally pinning the speeding mutant down and blowing him into a collapsed wall, knocking him out.

Down on the ground, Cyclops had pinned down Avalanche and was caught in a firefight with the crazed mutant, firing optic blasts as Avalanche came right back with his vibratory waves. Slowed by the necessity of having to drag the unconscious Jean, Cyclops could not avoid Avalanche's next blast, which knocked him off his feet and sent him flying into a pile of broken masonry. His entire body throbbing with pain, Cyclops tried to struggle to his feet as Storm flew down to help him, even as the hysterically laughing Avalanche prepared to bury them in those parts of the building that were still standing.

It was only through generating a burst of lightning that Storm managed to blind Avalanche, giving Cyclops enough time to recover so he could strike the crazed mutant down with another optic blast. Avalanche's body armor prevented the blow from being mortal, but it staggered him enough that he slowly felt himself blacking out. Before he did, he focused his powers on the ground above the stairway leading to the lower levels, collapsing it under a ton of rubble, after which he fell unconscious.

Cyclops gritted his teeth in pain as Storm examined Jean.

"Thank the goddess, she still breathes," Storm replied in response to Cyclops's concerned look. "She will recover. Can you clear a way through the barrier to the lower levels Avalanche has created?"

"Not without probably bringing the rest of the floor down," Cyclops cursed. "He made it so weak that any further pressure will level whatever's still standing. We'll need Jean to dig a way through telekinetically."

"Then let us hope she recovers in time," Storm said grimly.

* * *

Warpath and Thunderbird made their way into the building through the back entrance, where supplies and other large quantities of goods had been delivered. They were both constantly looking around, expecting an attack from any direction, and did not have long to wait for the first gas grenade tossed by the Crimson Commando, and the roaring fireball tossed at them by Pyro. Gagging from the tear gas the Commando released, Warpath moved to shield his younger brother from Pyro's flames. Warpath did his best to ignore the searing pain, before he used his powerful leg muscles to leap free of the gas cloud, Thunderbird in his arms.

Pyro and the Commando were at opposite ends of the room, working in concert to trap them in a crossfire, but the Proudstar brothers had spent countless hours training together in the Danger Room and knew full well how to counter such tactics. As Warpath shut his eyes and covered them with his hands for good measure, Thunderbird glowed brightly and generated a huge burst of electrical light, blinding his opponents and forcing them to let up on their attack. The brothers then charged in different directions, barreling down on their opponents.

Pyro was the first to recover, and lay down a wave of fire on Warpath, who shouted in pain before leaping free of the flames. Not giving an inch, Pyro reshaped the flames into a giant hand, which caught Warpath and brutally slammed him into the floor, before coming down to press on the Apache man and shroud him in flames. An ordinary man would have long since been incinerated, but Warpath was no ordinary man, slamming the ground with his fist and creating a shockwave that knocked Pyro off his feet and forced him to let up control of his flames. As the fires winked out of existence, Warpath struggled to his feet and caught up to Pyro with a single jump, knocking him senseless with a hard tap to the head.

Thunderbird, meanwhile, had been forced to generate an electrical shield to protect himself from the bullets fired at him by the Crimson Commando, who skillfully dodged whatever blasts he threw at her. Sweat poured down the young man's cheeks with the effort of generating all that energy, while the Commando tossed another gas grenade at him. Even as his eyes began watering, Thunderbird still saw a way to win. As he let up his electrical shield, Thunderbird focused it into a wide blast, forcing the Commando to dodge out of the way and grab a metal support pillar to regain her balance.

A short blast of energy aimed at the pillar's base was all that was needed for the electricity to be conducted up towards the Commando before she could escape, shocking her into unconsciousness as Thunderbird flew up to catch her. Coming back down to the ground and carrying the unconscious Commando in his arms, Thunderbird approached his brother and shuddered at the ugly red burns Warpath had suffered from Pyro's flames.

"Jim, are you-" Thunderbird began in horror.

"Yeah Johnny, I'll live," Warpath muttered, as he dragged the unconscious Pyro forward and dropped him in a heap in front of Thunderbird, who added the stunned Commando to the pile. "Not as bad as what Riptide or Arclight did, believe me."

Thunderbird only shuddered, remembering that dreadful battle in an underground maze of tunnels beneath San Francisco, where the mutant killers known as the Marauders had nearly annihilated the X-Men in their efforts to murder the community of outcast mutants known as the Morlocks. Warpath had killed Arclight, being severely beaten for his troubles, before he had been mercilessly torn by Riptide's spikes and shurikens. Thunderbird, in turn, had electrocuted Riptide to death, before Prism had turned his own electricity back on him and nearly killed him. It had taken the brothers weeks to recover from their injuries, and Thunderbird still hated to be reminded of that time.

"You going to be alright?" he asked Warpath.

"Just give me a few minutes," Warpath said, before he sat down, weariness in his eyes.

* * *

Rogue, Iceman and Spider-Woman made their way through the sewers towards the underground entrance to the abandoned bunker, fully expecting a fight. They did not have long to wait, as the huge forms of the Blob and Stonewall loomed out of the shadows and Mystique followed behind, her hands glowing with the electrically-charged Tazer gauntlets she so loved to wield in combat. The three Brotherhood members charged before Iceman covered the floor in a coating of ice, making it desperately slippery and forcing the villains to let up on their assault as they struggled to regain their footing. Iceman himself had no problem walking on the suddenly slick floor, while Spider-Woman stuck to the walls and ceiling and Rogue simply flew over it.

Anchoring himself in place with his gravity field, the Blob reached out and tore a large metal pipe from the wall, slamming Rogue hard with it and sending her flying before she crashed into the wall, slumping heavily to the floor. He slowly advanced, raising the pipe again before he got a face full of webbing from Spider-Woman, forcing him to pause and tear it free. The arachnid heroine was suddenly forced to dodge and roll out of the way as Mystique, now flying with wings sprouted from her back, lunged at her with her gauntlets. Spider-Woman quickly spun around, using one hand to nail Mystique with a sting blast while using the other to spraying the evil shapeshifter with webbing, stunning Mystique and pinning her to the wall before running for the entrance that led into the complex.

Stonewall, his face never changing its deadpan expression, lunged for her but was slammed by a large hammer of ice created by Iceman, who then gave the rock-skinned mutant a double blast of cold, encasing him up to his neck as he struggled to break free. It took Iceman several seconds to trap the struggling Stonewall, however, which left him vulnerable to the Blob coming up on him from behind and beginning to crush him in a vicious bearhug.

Iceman grunted in pain, lowering his temperature to try and make himself too cold to handle, but the Blob merely grinned and kept up the pressure. The big, blubbery bully would have broken Iceman in half if Rogue had not recovered in time and picked up the sewer pipe he had hit her with, using it to slam the Blob across the back of the head. Dizzy from the blow, the Blob released Iceman, who created a miniature hailstorm of ice balls from his hands, pummeling the Blob's face and eyes and knocking him senseless. Even as he did so, Rogue flew up to the struggling Mystique and removed one of her gloves, tapping Mystique with her finger and absorbing her powers. The shapeshifter fell unconscious as Rogue came down to Stonewall and touched him as well.

Unlike his leader, Stonewall was physically strong enough to resist the system shock that came with Rogue's touch, but when his own superhuman strength was combined with Rogue's, she possessed enough power to knock even the rock-hard mutant senseless.

Gasping in pain, Iceman leaned against the tunnel wall, as Rogue came down to join him.

"This ain't good," Rogue said, having absorbed and scanned Mystique's memories. "The Brotherhood's got Spiral guardin' the hostages."

"Terrific," Iceman sighed. "The Brotherhood's most powerful and unstable member guarding the hostages, and that inexperienced spider-girl went in after her. She's going to need your help."

"Will do," Rogue assured him. "How 'bout you? Ya'll don't look so good."

"I'll be alright," Iceman assured her. "The hostages are all that matter right now."

* * *

Spider-Woman would normally never have been able to make her way through the twisting underground complex, which had probably been designed that way to confuse enemies and provide the proper fallback and escape routes for the defending SHIELD agents, if it ever came to that. Her spider-senses were an unerring guide, however, the pheromones she had marked her mother, aunt and cousin with allowing her to track them down no matter where they were.

She finally came into the room where her family was kept. At first, their eyes lit up in hope, before shifting into panic. Spider-Woman recognized the signal immediately and rolled out of the way, as Spiral dropped down from the ceiling, her swords flashing and cutting through the air where Spider-Woman had been standing.

"A new recruit?" Spiral asked in a lilting, sing-song voice, her head jerking from side to side as she hopped and skipped in place. "The X-Men once more seek to hinder our efforts to bring justice to the mutant race, and their numbers have expanded? Are you the newest convert to Xavier's lies, woman-spider?"

"Your little crusade is over," Spider-Woman replied, her voice calm and collected. "I won't let you hurt these people."

Spiral only burst out laughing.

"Foolish girl, do you honestly think you can stand against my might? The essence of magic, the breath of life, the wisdom of the ancients, all this and more are mine to command! You will tremble before my power, as so many have trembled before you!"

"Talk is cheap," Spider-Woman merely said as she sprayed a double blast of webbing at Spiral. The six-armed mutant easily jumped out of the way, coming down and swiping at Spider-Woman with her swords. Spider-Woman rolled out of the way and shot a flurry of sting blasts at Spiral, who easily deflected them with her specially designed blades. She charged at Spider-Woman again, as the Watson women could only watch in horror. Her incredible speed allowed Spider-Woman to dodge the endless sword strikes, but she soon saw a pattern emerging, as Spiral shifted the tone of her movements from sword-strikes into a twisted, spiraling dance.

Rolling out of the way of yet another sword-strike, Spider-Woman suddenly felt her entire body become wracked with pain. Writhing in agony, she collapsed and fell to the ground, as Spiral laughed out loud, continuing to move her arms in that strange, bizarre pattern and hopping around in a frenzied state.

"A valiant effort, little spider, but ultimately futile," Spiral laughed. "And now, before these witnesses, I will-" she paused for a moment. "Well, it seems as if my brothers and sisters have tasted the bitter nectar of defeat by the X-Men's hands," Spiral resumed. "Therefore, we have no more use for our hostages. It falls upon I alone to exact mutant justice, and all your lives are at an end."

At that moment, Spider-Woman was in so much pain she could barely move. But as she heard Spiral's words, she felt it all come back.

The anger, the guilt, the sense of helplessness, everything filled her mind. She saw Firebrand, the Brothers Grimm, Boomerang, the Constrictor, and most of all her father, recalling everything they had done, and everything they had tried to do. Ignoring the pain in her limbs, Spider-Woman forced herself to her feet, her hands glowing brightly with her sting blast energy.

"What?" Spiral said in shock, temporarily stopping her dance. "Inconceivable!"

"You can't stop me," was all Spider-Woman replied.

"You presume to resist my magic?" Spiral sneered, as she resumed the dance. "Then I shall demonstrate the true intensity of my power! Your powers are as nothing before me!"

The pain became even worse, even as Spider-Woman's sting blasts faded from her hands.

_Firebrand set yet another building on fire. _

Her powers were fading…she could not-

_The Constrictor broke Phil Urich's neck._

She felt her mind begin to shut down, as Spiral increased the power of the dance…

_Phillip Watson viciously backhanded his wife Maddie, before grabbing her by the arm and slamming her against the wall, _

Not. Any. More.

Spider-Woman's arms snapped up, as she sprayed her webbing in a wide arc. Caught off guard, Spiral spun out of the way, quickly recovering as she gave the arachnid heroine a severe mental shock. Spiral then focused on Spider-Woman's mind once again, blocking the mental paths that allowed her to trigger her webbing abilities. One of Spiral's deadliest abilities was to temporarily disrupt the powers of superhuman beings, disrupting the mental connections that allowed the superhumans to consciously activate them.

Her eyes gleaming brightly behind the lenses of her mask, Spider-Woman seemed not to notice, rolling out of the way as Spiral tossed two of her swords at her and retaliating with a vicious double sting blast, knocking Spiral off her feet. The six-armed sorceress staggered, her movements becoming even more pronounced and jerky, determined to break Spider-Woman's will and shatter her mind.

Sheer anger battled sheer power, as the two women fought in a battle of wills, neither one giving or expecting an inch.

Through it all, Spider-Woman realized one critical thing.

Spiral's bizarre movements, particularly the circling motions of her arms, allowed her to perform her magic.

Everything became clear in that moment, as Spider-Woman seemed to stagger, her will apparently broken. Grinning in triumph, Spiral prepared to strike the fatal blow, shifting all her focus to breaking Spider-Woman's mind.

It was a critical mistake, as Spider-Woman released a stream of webbing from both hands, entangling Spiral's arms and legs. Falling off balance and unable to move her limbs properly, Spiral's magic was lost, ruined, even as Spider-Woman continued to spray her with webbing and then blasted her with her electric stings. As Spiral staggered, she then noticed Spider-Woman advancing on her slowly and relentlessly, her face set in a mask of anger.

The punch, coming right between her eyes, was the last thing Spiral saw coming.

* * *

Wearied from the effort, her adrenaline fading, Spider-Woman advanced on Anna, Maddie and Kristy Watson. It was a simple enough matter to snap the chains binding them to the pillar with her incredible superhuman strength, before sitting down to catch her breath, even as the rest of the Watson clan thanked her profusely. Rogue appeared less than a minute later, using the knowledge of the complex she had gained from Mystique's memories to lead them above-ground. The police and the rest of the X-Men were already waiting, having brought the rest of the Brotherhood with them. The Watsons were handed over to the police, who would see to it that they received proper medical attention, before returning them home.

Spider-Woman was left with the X-Men, who were looking at her with a different view now.

"You're one of us, then?" Cyclops asked her. "A mutant?"

"That's right," Spider-Woman nodded. "And I wanted to thank you for letting me help you on this. It means more to me than you ever-"

"Wait, hold up," Forge interrupted, holding a strange-looking device in his hands.

Everyone turned to look at him in blank amazement.

"I _knew _my genetic scanner couldn't be on the fritz," Forge said, looking at the readings on the monitor. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm sure I'm right."

"What are you talking about?" Jean asked curiously.

"I knew something was off when you first came into our presence and didn't set off Cerebro's detectors," Forge said, as the X-Men looked at each other in amazement and confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Spider-Woman asked in surprise. "What's this Cerebro?"

"Cerebro is a special genetic-tracking system that I devised to help locate mutants," Forge informed her. "It can be used to scan for people with the 'x-gene', the gene that mutants carry that eventually causes their ambient powers to manifest. Only mutants have them-people like the Fantastic Four don't. They were ordinary humans that got transformed somehow, so technically they're mutates, not mutants."

"So what does all this have to do with me?" Spider-Woman demanded, not liking where this was going.

"Well, we often carry portable Cerebro detectors with us when we're in the field. They serve not only to track down friends or enemies that might be in danger, but also work as an alarm in case unknown mutant hostiles approach without our knowledge. When you came swinging down, you didn't set off our detectors," Forge replied.

"Wait…what?" Spider-Woman asked in amazement. "That can't be possible!"

"See for yourself," Forge answered, as he began fiddling with the controls. "I can even set it to scan specific people to see if they carry the x-gene. I'll do it to you, if you'll let me."

Spider-Woman only nodded, and Forge pointed the scanner directly at her. She walked over to see the results.

_NO X-GENE DETECTED, _the monitor read, before it shifted to say _OUTSIDE GENETIC MUTATIONS DETECTED-SUBJECT IS CONFIRMED AS MUTATE._

"I…I'm not a mutant?" Spider-Woman said in amazement, stunned by the revelation. "Then how…how could I…" she said in confusion.

"Your DNA was altered at some point to induce superhuman abilities," Forge told her. "Can you think of any kind of accident or change that would lead to this?"

"No!" Spider-Woman said in dismay. "Nothing like that's ever happened to me! My powers only started manifesting a few months ago, and-" she stopped, reluctant to reveal anything else.

"Might there be some way we could help you?" Storm asked, putting her hand on Spider-Woman's arm. "If you would return with us, then perhaps-"

"No," Spider-Woman shook her head, thinking of her family. "I have other things I need to take care of right now. I appreciate the offer, but-"

"It's still good whenever you want it," Cyclops assured her. "Just take care of what you need to do right now."

Spider-Woman offered him a grateful smile, before she leapt into the air and spun a webline.

* * *

"I was worried sick about you all," Mary Jane hugged Aunt Anna as they sat in Anna's house. "You're sure you're alright?"

"Yes, we'll be fine," Anna assured her. "Mind you, I'm quite grateful that Spider-Woman arrived when she did."

Mary Jane brightened at this.

"What about Mom?" she asked.

"That's the oddest thing," Anna smiled. "She seems so much better since we were rescued. I don't know what could have come over her."

True enough, Mary Jane was astonished to see her mother smiling as she watched the news, humming under her breath before rising to hug Mary Jane as she came in.

"You look alright," Mary Jane told her.

"I feel quite a bit better," Maddie said serenely. "But what about you? You seem so worn-out and tense…"

"I was worried sick," Mary Jane sighed. "But now-"

"Now it's alright," Maddie assured her.

Nothing more needed to be said, as Mary Jane sat with her mother in silence, at peace for the first time in a long, long time.

The question of where she had obtained her superhuman powers still nagged at the back of her mind, but right now it didn't really matter.

What mattered was what she'd been able to use those powers for.

(_**Next Issue:**_ With a renewed sense of purpose, Mary Jane begins to get her life back on track, as she returns to her studies and prepares for her date with Randy Robertson, while also rebuilding her friendships with Liz and Kitty. Things become considerably more complicated, however, when she crosses paths with the mysterious costumed criminal known as Jack O'Lantern! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #13: By the Light of the Jack O'Lantern!)_


	15. By the Light of the Jack O' Lantern

Mary Jane Watson realized that it was pretty much done after going over her bank book one last time. The money she had received from the Kingsley modeling job had been almost entirely spent on paying her delinquent tuition fees, and she simply didn't have anything left to pay the rent on her apartment. While that upcoming audition of _A Streetcar Named Desire _(which had been pushed back once again, this time into March) might get her some additional money, there was no guarantee she would be cast…and besides, it probably wouldn't be enough anyway.

Mary Jane had spent most of last night going over the want ads in the _Daily Bugle, _knowing that any acting or modeling work she'd be able to get would only be temporary. She had previously worked waiting tables in high school to help Aunt Anna pay the bills after Anna had taken Maddie and Mary Jane in, and although the pay hadn't been that great, it was at least steady and more reliable than acting or modeling. Having already circled a few different places, she intended to go out after school the next day and begin filling out some application forms.

_And in any case, this is probably a rite of passage for aspiring actresses in New York City, _she thought to herself in amusement as a wry smile played across her face.

There was one other thing she intended to do over her free periods during the middle of the next day, namely taking Kitty Pryde out to lunch as thanks for helping her contact the X-Men after the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants had kidnapped the rest of her family.

She owed Kitty that much, at the very least.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #13

"BY THE LIGHT OF THE JACK O'LANTERN"

_**

* * *

**_

That evening…

Normally, Phillip Watson was not known for his cool temper or easygoing manner. People tended to step carefully around him, very much afraid of setting him off. Today was even worse, after having received more telephone calls and e-mails from the press that he could count, all related to his alleged connections to the Friends of Humanity and their anti-mutant hate agenda, which had been exposed by the claims the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants had made on the video they released to the media when they kidnapped his sister, wife and niece. His seething temper threatened to boil over as he loudly slammed the door to Norman Osborn's office and sat down in front of Osborn's desk, even as Osborn himself looked up from his computer and leaned back in his chair.

"You're certainly popular today," Osborn noted calmly as Phillip opened his briefcase and retrieved a sheaf of documents.

"They can't prove anything," Phillip muttered as he set the papers down. "Now, what did you want to do as far as-"

"Are you quite sure about that?" Osborn interrupted him.

Phillip suddenly stopped and looked up at Norman, fixing him with a piercing glare.

"What do you mean?" he demanded, his voice calm and cold.

"I mean that I can't have the press looking too closely at one of my associates," Osborn told him pointedly. "Ben Urich was the only one investigating the allegations of our waste dumping. How much more attention are you going to be getting as a result of the Brotherhood's little announcement?"

"Who the hell would believe them?" Phillip shot back, his eyes flaring.

"People who bear us a grudge and would be quite happy to find any excuse to defame us or pry more closely into our affairs," Osborn reminded him, remaining as stoic and calm as ever. "That type of attention doesn't do my business interests any favors."

"_My _business interests?" Phillip began, as his voice began to rise. "Don't you mean _our _business interests?"

"I mean exactly what I said," Osborn said without blinking. "We all have our own stakes in whatever matter we involve ourselves in."

"Goddamn it Norman, if you sell me out-" Phillip replied, his voice rising.

"I have no intention of doing anything of the sort at the present time," Osborn replied, folding his arms and coming forward. "All I'm doing is reminding you of the circumstances we're facing right now."

Phillip stared at Osborn for several minutes, before he finally spoke again, his voice full of menace.

"You'd better hope they don't dig too deep," Phillip reminded Osborn. "After all, you know and I know that we both know a lot, right?"

"You know that I know that we know what's important," Osborn said cryptically, a smile crossing his face. "I know that you know that we both know we don't get too deeply tied into one another's affairs. I know and you know that's just common sense, right?"

"And when one of us knows something the other doesn't want them to know, that puts us both in an interesting position," Phillip replied, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Hence, what I'd like to know is what you intend to do about this situation," Osborn finally said, ending the game.

"Deny having anything to do with the Friends, and ensure that any transactions I have with them are kept 'off the books', as they say," Phillip responded. "Denounce the Brotherhood's accusations of slander."

"And the Friends won't mind?" Osborn asked, slight skepticism apparent in his voice.

"They're well aware of their status with the government," Phillip assured him. "Acts of terrorism don't do much to bolster one's public image, after all."

"Quite so," Osborn nodded. "What I don't understand, though, is why you would even risk everything you've built by associating with those bigots."

Phillip blinked in surprise at this.

"Damn it Norman, don't tell me you sympathize with those mutie freaks-"

"I don't," Osborn stated, "not in the least. The activities of the Friends of Humanity, however, in some respects do more harm than good in that their recklessness and willingness to attack those they claim to defend but that do not agree with their morals arouses considerable hostility…hostility that might damage other interests and agendas. They provoke backlashes that more careful and subtle activities, like those of the good Senator Robert Kelly, do not."

Phillip paused at this, his anger soon disappearing.

"They sicken me, Norman," Phillip answered calmly. "They're freaks, monsters, a disease. Mutants are a perversion of nature. That's why I support the Friends of Humanity-mutants don't know their place in society, they don't realize where they belong. They don't listen when you tell them what to-"

"You do understand my point, don't you?" Osborn interrupted. "That you risk everything you have built up with this rash anti-mutant obsession? That some battles are…more important than others?"

Norman Osborn's eyes flashed at this.

"I know what I'm doing, Norman," Phillip said curtly, "and I've got it under control. So why don't you mind your own fucking business?"

Few people would have dared to speak to Norman Osborn in such a fashion, and anyone who knew his business reputation would have expected him to crush the offender in a suitably devastating manner.

Instead, Osborn merely raised an eyebrow.

Both men knew that Norman Osborn was very proud of his reputation as "the Miracle Worker", the man who had rescued Osborn Industries from bankruptcy in the most spectacular manner, and was very diligent in protecting it.

Both men also knew that rebuilding OsCorp had gotten Osborn heavily involved with the likes of Crimewave, Phillippe Bazin, the Maggia, and the Kingpin…or in other words the four major crime cartels in New York City, at least before the Green Goblin had come along.

Neither man cared to make the association publicly known.

This knowledge was at the forefront of both their minds as they resumed their normal business.

* * *

It was just before noon when Mary Jane made her way to Kitty's dormitory, expecting to see her old friend and take her out for dinner as a surprise. Instead, much to her surprise and concern she saw the police and campus security standing out front talking to a sobbing Kitty, as several students milled around in small groups, muttering to themselves and watching the scene.

Mary Jane broke into a run and caught up with Kitty just as the police and security guards headed into the dormitory. She reached out and tapped Kitty on the shoulder, briefly forgetting about Kitty's phasing powers, before her hand passed right through Kitty's body. The young mutant turned around to face Mary Jane, who was shocked at the red eyes and tear-streaked face she encountered.

"…Kitty?" Mary Jane asked in shock. "What happened here?"

"Why the hell should you care?" Kitty spat back at her.

Mary Jane simply stared back at her.

"…Isn't it my job to snap at _you_?" she tried to joke, cracking a weak smile.

"I…I'm sorry MJ," Kitty said sadly, hugging Mary Jane. "They…they just…"

"They what?" Mary Jane asked, although she already had a sick feeling she knew what had happened.

Wordlessly, Kitty led Mary Jane back into the dormitory and led her up to the room she occupied on the second floor. Kitty pointed into the room and turned away, unable to even look within anymore, as Mary Jane simply stared, aghast.

Everything inside was a wreck-the TV and computer had been smashed, books and posters ripped apart, family pictures shattered, clothing and bedding shredded with knives…and then there was the graffiti sprayed across the walls in blood-red paint.

_MUTIE GO HOME!_

_GENETIC FREAK!_

_BRING BACK THE PRISON CAMPS!_

There were several symbols also sprayed on the walls that Mary Jane didn't recognize, but she knew enough of Kitty's reaction to see that they were the mutant equivalent of the swastika. Just as the Nazis had used-and still used-the swastika as a symbol of their hatred of the Jews, these symbols were a symbol of the hatred of mutants.

"How…how could they possibly do this?" Mary Jane asked in amazement. "Didn't any of the other students-"

"There was a big party last night," Kitty explained dully as she came up behind Mary Jane. "Everyone took part, and they all shared the same keg. Turns out the beer was spiked with rohypnol."

"Come again?" Mary Jane asked in confusion.

"The date-rape drug," Kitty responded. "It knocks you out. Everybody passed out, and whoever did this broke into my room. They probably stole the RA's master key to get in-she says she can't find it."

"They went to all that effort just to trash your room?" Mary Jane asked, baffled by the sheer lunacy of the thought.

"Anti-mutant activists pull this sort of thing all the time," Kitty said flatly. "This isn't even the first time-" she closed her eyes in shame.

Mary Jane's eyes flared wickedly as she took the room in one last time, before turning away to look at Kitty.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked Kitty gently. "Are you going to find another room?"

"The hell I am!" Kitty shouted angrily. "You think I'd spend another _minute _here?"

"So where are you-" Mary Jane began.

"I don't know, and right now I don't really care," Kitty scowled, her face a mask of rage. "All I know is that…oh God…" tears formed in her eyes again.

Mary Jane had heard enough.

"I know what you can do," she told Kitty. "You make pretty good money at the _Daily Bugle, _don't you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kitty snapped.

"I'm getting kicked out of my old place since I can't keep up with the rent, and I'm going looking for a new apartment anyway," Mary Jane told her. "And I'm also going to be getting a job that pays more regularly than just acting or modeling. Why don't we split the rent on a place?"

The frown vanished from Kitty's face, but she seemed rather uncertain.

"But…what if they come after me again?" she mumbled.

"They can try," Mary Jane said determinedly.

"What?" Kitty asked in surprise.

"Emphasis on the word _try_," Mary Jane repeated tersely. "I don't particularly appreciate bullies picking on people who can't fight back. After all, if they're so tough they're more than welcome to try their luck with someone who can stand up to them."

Kitty blinked in surprise.

Mary Jane just smiled wickedly.

Slowly, Kitty began to smile herself, as she hugged Mary Jane.

* * *

Edna Muggins had seen it all before. Young people with their crazy dreams of making it big on Broadway, or being discovered by some big-shot producer. Most of them never made it, and usually ended up going into some other profession once they smartened up, but enough of them hit the big time that the rest kept coming. More than a few of them had rented a place in her building, so she recognized the two young women who had knocked on her door that afternoon right away. She noted how the redhead was the one who did all the talking, as the brown-haired girl sat and watched them in silence.

"Yeah, I'm the manager," Mrs. Muggins told Mary Jane and Kitty as they sat in her office. "My husband Barney is the super, and we co-own this place."

"So you have room?" Mary Jane asked.

"We always do," Mrs. Muggins nodded. "You've got enough for the first month's rent?"

Mary Jane frowned, closing her eyes and silently cursing herself. How could she have been so stupid as to forget-

"Yes, we've got it," Kitty broke in, as Mary Jane looked at her in surprise.

"Fair enough, then," Mrs. Muggins nodded. "Just remember you're on your own when it comes to bringing your stuff over. Barney isn't going to help you with that."

"Do you have any other rules?" Mary Jane asked.

"No pets, no loud parties, no harassing the other tenants, and no squatters," Mrs. Muggins said flatly. "Too many people your age think they can sneak an extra friend over for the night. That sort of thing doesn't happen on my watch, ladies, so you'd better be sure you remember it."

Mary Jane and Kitty both nodded.

"Rent's due the last day of the month, laundry's in the basement, you can plug your Internet connections into our building line," Mrs. Muggins continued, having memorized these details long ago. She stood up and led the two girls out of her office with a gesture to show them around the building and let them pick the room they desired.

None of the apartments were particularly big or even all that comfortable, but Kitty and Mary Jane had pretty much expected that to begin with, given their rather limited finances. They finally settled on a room on the top floor, Mary Jane essentially making the decision for Kitty, who didn't seem to particularly care where they stayed. For Mary Jane, the skylight in her bedroom was exactly what she had been looking for.

"There's one thing you should know," Kitty said slowly to Mrs. Muggins as they returned to her office to sign the lease and contract. "I was driven out of my last place by…um…"

"What?" Mrs. Muggins asked suspiciously.

Kitty was reluctant to say anything.

"Anti-mutant bigots," Mary Jane said bluntly. "And if you have a problem with that, then we're taking our business elsewhere."

To their surprise, Mrs. Muggins just shrugged.

"Believe me, I've seen it all. You don't spend four decades of your life in New York without getting used to a lot of weird things and a lot of even weirder people. With everything that goes on in this town nowadays, racist vandals are the least of a property owner's problems," she finished resignedly.

Mary Jane and Kitty only blinked in surprise.

* * *

"We'll need some help bringing our stuff over," Kitty said to Mary Jane as they left the building that evening. "I'll see about getting Ben to lend us a hand. Do you think Randy might be able to?"

Mary Jane frowned.

"I kind of hate to ask him, since he's basically paying my way on that date we've got later this week," she replied. "I don't want to seem like I'm sponging off him."

"Don't worry about it," Kitty reassured her. "He's our mutual friend, and he'll be happy to help. Besides, what better way to show off just how strong he is?" she chuckled, as Mary Jane blushed.

"Yeah, I guess…" she trailed off.

"What's wrong?" Kitty asked her curiously.

"You know I don't have any more money," Mary Jane reminded her. "You can't be saying you'll be paying the first month's rent all by yourself!"

"Well, yeah," Kitty said in surprise. "What's wrong with-"

"The deal was for each of us to pay half, right?" Mary Jane insisted. "I can't just leave you hanging!"

"Seriously, MJ…" Kitty shook her head.

"No!" Mary Jane insisted. "Once I get a full-time job, I'm paying you back every cent I owe."

"If you insist," Kitty said, half-smiling in amusement. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"A couple of different places," Mary Jane replied. "There's a few things I've got to weigh-the hours, the pay, the part of town, stuff like that."

Kitty nodded.

"Mind if I tag along?" she asked.

"By all means," Mary Jane smiled.

* * *

"Alright kid, you're hired," the heavyset man told Mary Jane as she and Kitty sat in the man's office. "Your uniform comes out of your first paycheck, and you'll have to refit it yourself. Twenty-five hours a week, different nights based on the schedule. All you need to do is basic serving duties. We'll have your uniform ready tomorrow, and you can start on Wednesday or Thursday once you get it refitted. Anything else?"

Mary Jane shook her head.

"You're not here looking for a position too, are you?" the man asked Kitty, who shook her head.

"Alright, now hit the road," he said brusquely, as he opened an accounting ledger and began looking over the figures, waving the two girls away with his hand.

"So this was the best place, huh?" Kitty asked Mary Jane as they headed back into the main room of the Empire State Coffee House. Kitty hadn't particularly liked the place, thinking its attempts to invoke New York history and heritage were overdone, but Mary Jane knew it was still her best deal when pay, flexible scheduling, and proximity to her home and school were taken into account.

"You bet," Mary Jane said, looking around as they headed for the door. "Too bad the Coffee Bean wasn't hiring."

"And have Flash Thompson leering at you every evening?" Kitty grimaced. "I'd rather get a job bagging groceries."

They both laughed at this.

"Tell you what," Mary Jane finished. "You can crash at my place tonight and tomorrow, after I stop by the coffee shop to pick up my uniform, we start moving our stuff over to the apartment? We'll get the guys to help out."

"Sure thing," Kitty agreed. "And MJ?"

"Yeah?" Mary Jane asked.

"…Thanks," Kitty finished.

Mary Jane only smiled back, feeling a lot better than she had in a long time.

* * *

There was one more thing Mary Jane intended to do before returning to her old apartment, namely to stop by the bank and check on her mother's account to make sure that the first of Phillip's alimony checks had been deposited properly. Kitty had returned to the dorm to see what she could salvage from the wreckage. They had been fortunate enough to run into Randy Robertson on the way, and so Mary Jane didn't worry about accompanying Kitty back, knowing she'd be in good hands.

It was while standing in line at the bank, double-checking the paperwork Aunt Anna had helped her fill out, that Mary Jane heard the strange humming sound. As she looked up, she saw that the rest of the customers and staff in the bank expressed similar confusion, until they saw the nightmare enter the bank.

Laughing out loud at the panicked cries and shouts of the other people in the bank, Jack O' Lantern stood in all his horrific glory, from the ghastly, flaming pumpkin that served as his head to the chest plate covered in what looked like tiny skulls, to the bats, frogs, shrunken heads and other strange knickknacks hanging from his belt, to his gloves and boots, which were painted to resemble hideous skeletal limbs.

_"I'm sure you good people worked hard for your money," _the pumpkin-headed freak sniggered. _"Mind if I teach you a lesson in the ultimate futility of it?"_

"W…what do you want?" one of the bank tellers asked nervously.

_"What do you think, genius?"_ Jack O' Lantern seemed to roll his eyes, tapping his foot impatiently as he crossed his arms. _"I want all the money in the vault! It's better off with me than hypocrites like you."_

"Hypocrites?" one of the customers asked in surprise.

_"No more questions!" _Jack shouted, uncrossing his arms and raising a clenched fist. He began laughing once again as he fired a deadly wrist blast at the man's feet, causing him to jump in fear and fall flat on his back. As the customers began screaming in panic, several of them began running for the doors.

Not wanting to leave in case Jack O' Lantern, whoever he was, had attacked someone, Mary Jane now took the opportunity to slip out the front door with several other customers.

_

* * *

_

"Hypocrites, hypocrites…oh such hypocrites,"

Jack lamented, as he hovered in the air while waiting for the bankers to open the vault. _"So many people waste their lives sweating blood for their money, becoming obsessed with using it to try and get ahead in life…only to squander it on the latest obsessions, trends or baubles…when you don't become obsessed with the money itself. It becomes as much of a prison as this vault," _he philosophized, even as he casually tossed a pumpkin-shaped grenade at the bankers' feet, causing them to jump and scream in terror.

"You're pretty tough picking on someone who can't fight back," Jack heard a feminine voice behind him. Turning around lazily, he saw the red and gold costume, stunning figure, and long dark hair of the spectacular Spider-Woman standing before him, her hands glowing with the energy of her sting blasts.

_"Oh, goody!" _Jack giggled, as he rose into the air and tossed a pair of pumpkin grenades, one in each hand, down in opposite directions at the bystanders who remained frozen in place by fear. _"Now I have an archenemy to call my own! And so fast, too!" _he laughed, as Spider-Woman blew one grenade apart with a sting blast and caught the other one with a webline and threw it off to the side, where it exploded in a burst of flame and shrapnel. Jack immediately charged at Spider-Woman, laughing like a crazed hyena and firing his wrist blasters as his arachnid nemesis dodged frantically.

With his hover disc, Jack O' Lantern had the advantage of mobility, and for every blast he fired at Spider-Woman, he aimed another blast at one of the panicking bystanders, which Spider-Woman barely managed to deflect with a sting blast or a webline.

_"Such a waste of talent," _Jack O' Lantern chided Spider-Woman, shaking his head in disapproval as she pulled an elderly lady out of the direction of his latest blast. Spider-Woman spun around to absorb the shock and gently put the woman on the ground, catching the next pumpkin bomb Jack threw at her with a webline and threw it at the vault door, blowing a large jagged hole in the door as it made contact.

Cackling evilly, Jack flew down to ground level and pulled a small ghost from his belt. Pushing a button on it, the plastic ghost stretched out to an improbable length and wrapped itself around the waist of a man who had been hiding behind a fallen desk, too frightened to try and escape. At the push of a second button, the ghost-grabber reeled itself in, dragging the hapless man into Jack O' Lantern's arms. Holding the man in an iron grip with one arm, Jack flexed his free hand, and burst out laughing again as the bone-shaped fingers of his glove extended into wickedly sharp talons, which he held right next to the man's throat. He then rode his hover disc into the vault, as Spider-Woman followed him into the vault in mounting horror.

"_As I was saying, you are wasting your talents, my dear," _Jack lectured Spider-Woman matter-of-factly, not seeming to care that he was holding a terrified man's life in his hands. _"You put your efforts towards protecting unworthy sorts such as this one, who piously proclaim themselves to be caring, decent people when they're just as greedy and selfish as anyone else living in this pathetic burg."_

Spider-Woman felt her anger rising, disgusted at Jack's ravings and infuriated at what he was doing to the poor man trapped in his arms. Jack's claws had scratched long red lines across his throat, and the man had apparently wet himself out of sheer terror, something she couldn't blame him for. She took several deep breaths, knowing full well the disastrous consequences of losing her temper.

"_My my, did I hit a nerve?" _Jack chuckled. _"Why are you doing this, anyway? I mean, at least I have a good reason for what I do...what's your excuse?"_

Spider-Woman only stared back at him, frustrated by her inability to do anything without Jack hurting the hostage, until they both heard the police sirens outside and the officers running in through the front door.

"_Oh dear, it seems that we have company," _Jack sighed, as he tossed his hostage at Spider-Woman and immediately flew out of the vault. From one hand, he tossed a collection of pumpkin bombs tied together back into the vault, even as he tossed another single bomb into the mob of police gathering beneath him. One of the police officers shot the grenade with his gun, causing it to explode and release a sickly green gas that spread with alarming speed, causing the officers to fall into a deep sleep as they breathed it in.

Back in the vault, Spider-Woman was moving too fast for her rational mind to keep up, instinct taking over as she quickly caught the hostage and ran into the corner, gently setting him down before turning around and spinning a wall of webbing in an attempt to shield herself and him from the massive explosion that ripped through the vault. It was enough-barely-to block the flames, but the rest of the vault and all the money inside it was shredded by the explosion. Kneeling in front of the hostage to shield him with her body, only Spider-Woman's wall-crawling powers allowed her to keep her grip on the floor and prevent herself from being blown on top of him by the sheer force of the blast

* * *

Spider-Woman stumbled out of the wrecked vault, carrying the hostage over her shoulder. The poor man was in shock, barely aware of where he was or what was going on as Spider-Woman gently put him down on the ground before making for the exit, where she saw that many of the civilians who had been in the bank had stayed to watch from the outside, and were now being treated by paramedics, one of whom was advancing on her.

"Save it," she said curtly. "There are people in there who need treatment a hell of a lot more than I do," she finished, before taking to the air and leaving, stopping only to retrieve her street clothes and bag where she had hidden them out of sight so she could find a place to change back.

Spider-Woman was fuming, outraged at her inability to stop Jack O' Lantern. The vault had been destroyed, any number of people could have been killed by Jack's reckless attacks, and the pumpkin-headed maniac had escaped. As she landed in an alley and changed back into her street clothes, she found herself taking another deep breath to calm down, even as she continued to feel a keen sense of frustration. It was only a short walk from where she landed to the campus of Empire State University, where she soon found Kitty and Randy leaving the dormitory with the few belongings they had managed to gather.

"What happened to you, MJ?" Randy asked in concern.

"Just my luck that when I go to do some banking for my mother, the bank gets robbed by a supervillain," Mary Jane said ruefully. "Don't worry about me, I'm alright."

"If you say so," Randy frowned. "Are you guys heading back to Mary Jane's apartment?"

"Yeah," Mary Jane nodded. "We can have dinner there, if you guys don't mind frozen waffles."

"Ah, the joys of being a broke student," sighed Randy as the three of them set off down the street.

* * *

Detective Jason Phillip Macendale surveyed the destroyed vault in the bank later that evening, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he considered the effects of the robbery on his long-term projects. While things hadn't turned out the way he would have expected, in some respects it would probably be better this way. Now, if only he could-

"Another day, another crazed psychopath," he heard a husky female voice behind him. Turning around, Macendale saw Detective Cecilia Perez, a fellow member of the NYPD Superhuman Activities Unit, coming to join him in the vault. "First he tries to rob the vault, and then he blows it up. What do you think he was after?"

"The hell would I know?" Macendale snapped back at her. "All of these masked freaks are crazy. What have they got to hide, anyway?"

Perez scowled at Macendale, before reminding herself that it was her own fault for attempting to make civilized conversation with one of the biggest assholes on the force. That said, he seemed to actually have a point, given the eyewitness accounts of Jack O' Lantern's ravings. They could at least be thankful for Spider-Woman's presence, which probably saved at least a few lives today.

That realization sent chills down Detective Perez's spine.

…Just how many people would this Jack O' Lantern character have hurt if she hadn't shown up?

She was too absorbed in her thoughts to notice the look of seething rage on Detective Macendale's face.

* * *

The next day after class, Mary Jane returned to her apartment, to find Kitty waiting for her with Ben Reilly. Apparently her landlady had already let them in-this was the day Mary Jane had to leave, after all.

"Where's Randy?" Kitty asked, as Ben raised an eyebrow.

"He's just parking the car," Mary Jane replied, as she opened the refrigerator and began taking out its contents, passing some bananas to Kitty and Ben. "He'll be right up," she finished. Less than a minute, they all heard Randy's footsteps in the hall as he opened the door and walked into the apartment.

"Hi Randy," Mary Jane greeted him with a smile and handed him some bananas of his own. "Thanks so much for this."

"Hey, it's no problem," Randy smiled. "Not too often I get to use my ride at this time of year anyway. With the roads the way they are, it's usually faster to just take the subway...Hey, Kitty!" he greeted her, before stopping at Ben Reilly.

"You're…Ben, right?" Randy asked him.

"Don't you remember?" Ben replied with a half-cocked smile. "I was the guy whose birthday party you went to a couple of weeks ago, remember?"

"I'm just so bad with names," Randy groaned, smacking his face in embarrassment. "I mean, I know every guy who won an Oscar for best director, and yet I can't remember the name of a guy I meet two weeks ago."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Ben shook his head. "You here to help with the move too?"

"Two lovely ladies in need of assistance?" Randy grinned. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't offer my aid?"

A stiff silence followed, as Ben raised his eyebrow again and gave Randy a look that had Mary Jane and Kitty looking at the two boys, then at each other, nervously.

"Here, let's get-" Mary Jane began.

"-started, or else we'll be here all night," Kitty continued reflexively.

Much to the girls' relief, the two boys broke off their mutual stare and began gathering up Mary Jane's belongings, although they continued to glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

Mary Jane felt slightly sick, wondering if she and Kitty had inadvertently made a huge mistake in bringing the two boys into the same room.

**

* * *

**

Entry #3:

**The combat effectiveness of my equipment has been confirmed against a bona fide superhero, and I can see that the time invested in my training was well spent. With Phase Three complete, I'm ready to pursue my larger initiatives. The coming function will serve as the perfect opportunity to set everything in motion. So far, everything's lining up the way I expected. **

**Now I even have an enemy in Spider-Woman, the hero to my villain. Who does she think she is, intruding on my fun like that? All that effort, blood and sweat…and for what? To protect a bunch of self-pitying mindless drones who've let themselves be trapped in boxes of their own making? Oh my yes, she claims to be defending the innocent and protecting the weak...but then I see the look on her face. **

**What's she hiding, behind that mask? Why did she get so angry when I called those hostages greedy and foolish? There's something else to her, something she's trying to conceal, just as with Daredevil, Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Sleepwalker, Darkhawk, and all the rest of them. Their masks are hiding their true motives, the real reasons they do these things. **

**Self-centered hypocrites, every one of them. It'll be interesting to see which of them I run into in my future activities…**

**In any event, the time for tests is over. Now the **_**REAL **_**fun begins…**

_Leaning back in my chair, I close the file and look at the pumpkin helmet on the shelf next to me. I feel disgust, anger, and hate. It's all the more ironic that I need an actual physical mask to reveal the masks all the rest of them wear. _

_That said, I realize it's all part of the fun. _

_So much the better. _

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane's new living arrangements are soon put to the test as an army of insane supervillains and criminals descends on New York City! As she struggles to protect the people of New York, she encounters an old enemy in Blizzard, who has become caught up in the massive wave of insanity spreading across the city! But what will Spider-Woman do when their battle takes a truly shocking turn? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #14: Cold Comfort!)_


	16. Cold Comfort

"These are cute!"

"Ugh, are you kidding? They're _so _last season."

"What about this one?"

"I don't know…it really doesn't match your eyes."

Such was the conversation of Mary Jane Watson, her cousin Kristy, Liz Allan, and Kitty Pryde as they made the rounds of Bloomingdale's that weekend. It had been a tough week for the girls, in between attempting to juggle their midterm exams and their jobs. After all the stress they had been through, they had all needed to unwind, and found that a day at one of New York's most upscale shopping malls was just what they needed. As an added bonus, Kristy's seventeenth birthday had occurred earlier that week, which gave them the excuse they needed to spend more than they normally would have, despite their rather limited means.

Not that four giggling teenage girls had ever needed a reason to do such things.

Mary Jane smiled to herself as she took a few steps in the Ugg boots she had insisted on trying on. They fit like a dream, and they matched her jeans perfectly. She winced as she looked at the price tag-the boots would eat up most of what she had made from her first paycheck at the coffee shop, minus what she'd set aside to pay back Kitty and buy Kristy a birthday present-but she realized that sometimes, you just had to spoil yourself!

Taking the boots off, Mary Jane walked over to examine some of the new spring collection that was just about to be unveiled, as Kitty came up behind her.

"Wow, check out the new Chanels!" Kitty smiled as she took one of the emerald green dresses off the rack and posed with it, holding it in front of herself. "Too bad about the price, though…"

"I'm more a Ralph Lauren person myself," Mary Jane replied as she looked over a beautiful sky-blue combination that was just begging her to buy it…except that Mary Jane doubted she could have afforded it even if she took out a bank loan. "Chanel's pretty nice, though."

"How about these Kingsleys?" Liz asked, as she and Kristy joined them. "These look…what's wrong?" she asked in surprise as Mary Jane visibly flinched.

"Liz…" Mary Jane began slowly.

"…Yeah?" Liz asked.

"I'd really, really, _really _appreciate it if you never mentioned the name 'Kingsley' again. Ever. Emphasis on the 'never'," Mary Jane said, looking distinctly ill.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #14

"COLD COMFORT"

* * *

"What's wrong?" Kristy asked in concern.

"Let me put it this way," Mary Jane said, still looking as if she had bit into something distinctly sour and overripe. "If any of you girls ever decide to go into modeling, _do not _work with Roderick Kingsley. The way he looked at me was…ugh," she trailed off.

"I'm sorry," Liz apologized. "I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Mary Jane assured her. "I just hope Donna Karan will be hiring…"

They chuckled at this.

Mary Jane's laughter was sincere, as she was feeling better than she had for quite a while. Her mother's banking arrangements had been worked out, she had gotten caught up on her schoolwork, and she had already gotten her first paycheck from her new waitressing job. Best of all, she hadn't had to become Spider-Woman in over a week-with the exception of Jack O' Lantern, all of the villains she had fought up to this point were still in prison.

For now, at least, she could relax and enjoy life.

* * *

"I'm glad you could fill in, Mary Jane," Mr. Spencer told her the next evening as she entered the Empire State Coffee Shop through the employees' back door, dressed in her work uniform. "I know it wasn't your shift, but when Tina got sick-"

"It's fine, really," Mary Jane assured her boss as she picked up a tray and headed for the main room. "I don't mind at all."

The evening rush was just starting, and Mary Jane was kept busy for most of the evening. It was always busy-Empire State had become the hip new place among many of the local poets and other avant-garde types-but tonight was especially bad. Run off her feet taking orders and serving customers their drinks, Mary Jane was relieved when her break finally came around.

She sat down with a cup of her own, yawning briefly before she sipped it. One advantage about Empire State was that it had terrific lattes-a hell of a lot better than the ones at the Coffee Bean. The lattes also had a nice proportion of caffeine, helping Mary Jane wake up a little and focus her mind.

She was going over her lines for her next Drama project in her head when she heard a familiar voice greeting her.

"I didn't know you liked this place too," Mary Jane heard a voice greet her in surprise. Snapped out of her reverie, Mary Jane looked up to see the pale features of Maggie Beck, a notebook in one hand and a cup of black coffee in the other.

"Actually, I work here," Mary Jane said with a half-smile as she gestured for Maggie to sit down. "What brings you here?"

"I can actually get some studying here without having idiot students bugging me every ten minutes," Maggie rolled her eyes. "People are always making out in the libraries, and it's too damn loud in the Student's Union Building. At least here the conversation is intelligent," she spat in disgust.

"…What are you working on?" Mary Jane asked, not sure of what to make of Maggie's tone.

"It's for my Psychology class," Maggie replied, as she opened up her notebook, taking out several newspaper clippings and pushing them toward Mary Jane. "I'm studying supervillain crime-I'm trying to understand what motivates these guys to do the things that they do."

Mary Jane couldn't avoid having a sour look on her face as she looked at some of the villains Maggie was apparently studying. Among the other villains Maggie had selected but that Mary Jane didn't recognize, she saw the unwelcome faces of the Brothers Grimm, Firebrand and Jack O' Lantern staring back at her. It was all she could do not to shudder, knowing all too well that none of them were ever going to be glowing pictures of mental health.

"You OK?" Maggie asked in some concern as she took the articles back.

"I'm fine-it's just that some of my friends were kidnapped by one of these guys, and I was there when Jack O' Lantern robbed the bank," Mary Jane replied. "But why supervillain crime? What got you interested in that?"

"I just find that whole mentality fascinating," Maggie explained. "Here we have people with unnatural abilities, who dress up in outlandish costumes, and either fight criminal acts or commit them. Why do they do these things, especially the more bizarre and violent criminal acts?"

_I wish I knew,_ Mary Jane thought to herself.

"Take Jack O' Lantern, for example. He doesn't just rob a bank, he goes off on a spiel about how most of these people become slaves to the money they work for, and how it's much better with him, since he's at least honest about his greed. I mean, you could almost say he has a point," Maggie replied.

"He has a _point_?" Mary Jane asked incredulously.

"You could say so," Maggie replied unflappably. "I mean, just look at how many people really are obsessed with having the biggest car in the neighborhood, or the loudest stereo, or the most channels on their TV set. You could almost say it's a reflection of our own materialist society."

"Robbing banks is a reflection of our own society?" Mary Jane asked, more than a little skepticism in her voice.

"Well, it's just a theory," Maggie shrugged. "You could almost say the same thing about the superheroes, too-they reflect a part of us. Like Spider-Woman."

"What?" Mary Jane asked in surprise, managing not to sound too astonished. "How does she reflect anything?"

"Well, you could apply this to almost any hero, really," Maggie stated. "The supervillains at least have tangible gain-power, money, recognition of some sort. But what do the heroes get out of it? They risk their necks for people they don't know, and they fight incredibly dangerous enemies, but they don't get any reward for it. They don't get any recognition. So why do they do it?"

"Some of them get paid, like the Avengers," Mary Jane pointed out, uncertainty in her voice.

"Emphasis on the _some_," Maggie said with a smile. "What about the rest of them, who don't get any reward for it? Do they do it out of a sense of responsibility? Are they trying to overcome some sort of past guilt? Are they venting some sort of anger or trauma? Or is it just out of altruism and compassion?"

Mary Jane just sat there in silence, before she quickly glanced at her watch.

"Oh no, looks like my break's over," she said quickly as she finished her latte and picked up her tray. "I've got to get back to work. Nice talking to you!" Mary Jane finished as she quickly walked away.

"Likewise," Maggie called out to her. "See you around!"

Although Mary Jane managed to keep at doing her job until her shift was over, Maggie's words stayed with her the rest of the evening. She kept thinking about it as she rode the bus back to her apartment, and as she got ready for bed.

As she removed her Spider-Woman costume, which she had worn underneath her waitress uniform, she stared at it long and hard.

She felt no anger…just…well, she wasn't sure.

All she knew was that she simply couldn't help herself.

* * *

"So, you're finally going out with Randy?" Kitty grinned teasingly at Mary Jane as they sat in their living room later that week doing their homework. "Where's he going to take you?"

"Just to the Argent Room, and then to the movies," Mary Jane smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I really didn't want to do too much else-I still don't really feel right letting him pay for the whole thing by himself."

"Oh come on," Kitty waved Mary Jane's concerns away. "He owes you for helping him complete that dance video of his. Besides, he just wants to be a gentleman. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, really," Mary Jane frowned. "I just feel like I'm sponging off him, and-"

"Not this again," Kitty rolled her eyes. "MJ, we all need help sometimes. You're not mooching off Randy, and if you pay me back for the first half of the rent-which you will-you're not mooching off me, either. Look, I don't see what's so hard about this."

"If you say so," Mary Jane said reluctantly.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, you can beat up the next group of mutant bigots to come after me," Kitty smirked. "You said you were a blackbelt, right?"

"Third degree," Mary Jane chuckled. "And yeah, if anyone messes with you-"

She was interrupted by a knock at the door. Putting down their books, both girls got up and walked to the door, where they were greeted by a handsome man with chiseled features, thick brown hair and bright green eyes. Mary Jane didn't recognize him, but Kitty squealed with glee and hugged him.

"Uncle Steve!" she said brightly. "It's so good to see you again!"

The name triggered a flashback in Mary Jane's mind, making her think back to Ben Reilly's birthday party at the Argent Room.

"You're…" she began briefly.

"MJ, you met Uncle Steve at Ben's party, right?" Kitty intervened.

"Right, Steve…Levins, was it?" Mary Jane shook the man's hand.

"That's right," Steve smiled as he stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind him and took off his shoes. "I was the one who was only married to his job," he joked.

"What are you doing here?" Kitty asked, leading her uncle into the living room as Mary Jane went into the kitchen to make some tea.

"Your mother just wanted me to give you girls some housewarming presents," Steve replied as he sat down and gratefully accepted the tea Mary Jane brought him. "Just some extra food, blankets, stuff like that."

"Good old Mom," Kitty sighed. "I should have known she'd be doing this sooner or later…"

"I also wanted to check on you guys and see how you were doing," Steve said. "Especially after…well…you know," he trailed off, referring to the racist vandalism that had driven Kitty out of her dorm and prompted her to move in with Mary Jane. "Has anyone been bothering you?"

"No they haven't," Mary Jane replied for Kitty, somewhat annoyed with Steve for bringing up a sensitive topic. Kitty was clearly bothered by it, closing her eyes and shaking her head even as she frowned. "But if they do, they'll regret it, believe me."

"Damn hypocrites," Steve muttered, an angry cloud crossing his face.

"Pardon?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"I'm sorry, they just make me mad," Steve replied. "They claim to be fighting for humanity's future, but then they do all these horrible things."

_Civilized bullshit, _Steve thought to himself, although he put on a calm face. _Bloody hypocrites, every one of them. You think you can stop them? Or are you just like them? _he wondered, staring intently at Mary Jane.

"Is something the matter?" Mary Jane asked.

"No," Steve shook his head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even brought it up in the first place."

"It's alright," Kitty replied before Mary Jane could say anything. "How are things at Hammer Labs?"

"Pretty good," Steve replied, sipping at his tea. "Lots of late nights, though. The high-tech industry is a demanding mistress…"

"You're putting in more hours than usual?" Kitty asked in surprise.

Mary Jane raised an eyebrow at this.

"I have to," he sighed, although his eyes gleamed. "On the other hand, it's not like I have anything better to do," he finished with a half-smile. "How about you?" he asked them. "Where are the gentlemen callers?"

"Uncle Steve…" Kitty blushed in embarrassment.

"Come on, I'm curious," he grinned. "These are supposed to be the best years of your lives. Don't tell me you're letting them go to waste."

Kitty couldn't help but smile as she shook her head.

"I've been looking, but no luck so far," she finished. "I was never too fond of the club scene."

"How about you?" Steve asked Mary Jane.

"Well, I have a date with our friend Randy tomorrow night," Mary Jane said slightly hesitantly, "we're going to a movie and dancing."

"Sounds fun," Steve grinned.

"I'm sure it will be," Mary Jane smiled back.

Steve took another contented sip of his tea.

"And just remember, girls," he finally said, "if those bigots come after you again, just let me know. I'll do whatever I can to help."

His eyes gleamed again.

* * *

"That was odd," Mary Jane frowned after Steve had left later that evening.

"What was?" Kitty asked.

"Well, just your uncle. He was asking these things out of nowhere, and...I'm sorry, I'm not being fair," Mary Jane replied.

"Well, Uncle Steve has always been kind of eccentric," Kitty shook her head. "He can be pretty forward, especially with people he's just met. He's really nice once you get to know him, though."

"Oh well," Mary Jane shrugged. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"I'm not sure," Kitty replied. "I thought that…isn't Kristy's birthday party tomorrow?" she asked in surprise. "Aren't you going?"

"Kristy's going out with her girlfriends," Mary Jane shook her head. "Her biological father is having a party for her. It's not really my place to go, you know?"

"I'm afraid I don't," Kitty said in confusion. "Isn't he her dad? And why wouldn't you go? Do you not get on well with your uncle?"

"He's not my uncle," Mary Jane insisted. When she saw the blank look of confusion on Kitty's face, she shook her head once more.

"Kitty was conceivedby my Aunt Anna through _in vitro_ fertilization," Mary Jane explained. "Aunt Anna had never been able to find Mrs. Right, so she didn't feel comfortable adopting. Instead, she decided to conceive on her own, and one of her male friends offered to donate his sperm."

"_Mrs. _Right?" Kitty asked in surprise. "So your Aunt Anna is-"

"-a lesbian? Yeah, she is," Mary Jane said casually. "She just doesn't like to bring attention to it. It really bothers her when that's the only thing people notice about her."

"I can sympathize," Kitty smiled, as she casually used her intangibility powers to phase through the chair she was sitting on, and pass through the coffee table on her way to get more tea.

They both laughed at this.

* * *

"You look absolutely incredible, you know that?" Randy Robertson told Mary Jane the next night as they went down the steps of her apartment. Clad in a tight green sweater, even tighter jeans and the new Ugg boots she had purchased on her last shopping trip, Mary Jane couldn't help but smile as Randy looked her up and down. Much to her own surprise, instead of discomfort or anger she felt genuinely flattered. Unlike the usual stares she tended to get-which she had learned to tolerate, knowing she could take care of herself if necessary-she felt a genuine warmth from Randy.

"You don't need to lay it on _that _thick, you know," Mary Jane replied with a half-smile as they got into his car.

"Hey, it's my first time, alright?" Rand said in mock defensiveness. "I still need to work on my romantic patter."

"Don't worry, you'll get plenty of opportunity," she smiled back at him.

The night didn't start as well as either of them had hoped. Mary Jane, not knowing much about film, had accidentally chosen a perfectly bland romantic comedy as the movie they went to see. She was thoroughly bored by it, while Randy cringed at the pedestrian script and standard filmmaking techniques.

Dinner at the Blue Star turned out to be more entertaining, as Randy couldn't keep himself from ranting about how subpar the movie was. Mary Jane understood maybe half the references he was making, but that didn't matter quite as much, as his vehement condemnations and flailing arms provided all the amusement she needed.

"…I'm sorry," Randy finally finished. "That's what I get for being a film geek."

"Don't worry about it," Mary Jane assured him. "It's better than _me _getting worked up and going on an angry rant, after all…"

They both laughed at this.

"Seriously, though," Randy said, as a more pensive look crossed his face. "How are you holding up? I know you've had some problems lately…"

"Don't worry about me," Mary Jane said, perhaps a little too quickly. "I've got it under control. But how about you? What are you doing these days?"

"Juggling studies and a job is no fun," Randy answered glumly. "Working in a warehouse isn't exactly glamorous, but it pays the bills. Midterms were a pain in the neck too."

Mary Jane could sympathize. Between her outings as Spider-Woman, her job, and checking up on her mother's accounts, she had been lucky to get any studying done at all.

"What about that performance of _A Streetcar Named Desire_?" Mary Jane asked. "Are you still going for that?"

"You bet," Randy grinned. "Great work, great experience…what's not to like? Are you going to be getting in on it?"

Mary Jane sat thinking on that one for a moment. She could use the money, and the more acting experience she got on her resume, the better. On the other hand, she was already pressed for time with her waitress job, her studies, and her outings as Spider-Woman…

Still, it couldn't hurt to give it a shot, as she told Randy.

"Hey, sounds great," he smiled.

As they headed out to the parking lot after Randy paid his bill, Mary Jane couldn't keep herself from speaking up.

"You know…Randy…" she began.

"Yeah?" he asked her.

"I…really appreciate your taking me out like this," she smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I'm having a great time, but…"

"But what?" he asked in surprise.

"I still don't quite feel right for you paying for everything," she said guiltily.

"Come on, MJ," Randy grinned. "It's not a problem, really. Besides, I like being a gentleman."

She smiled at that.

"You know, the night's still young," Randy continued. "You want to go dancing somewhere?"

"Now you're talking," Mary Jane smiled.

* * *

"Wow," Randy gasped, breathless as they left the club at the end of the night. "I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were _that_ good," he grinned.

Mary Jane just smiled and supported him, feeling slightly guilty about the fact that her enhanced stamina meant she was barely winded from their dance sessions. To his credit, though, Randy had made a valiant effort in trying to keep up. He leaned heavily on her shoulder as she gently helped him into the car, before he started it up. In spite of his fatigue, Randy was just fine to drive, as neither he nor Mary Jane had had anything but soda pop and water, respectively.

After pulling up in front of Mary Jane's apartment building, they emerged from Randy's car and made the way to the front door, where they stopped for several minutes.

"Thank you so much, Randy," Mary Jane said, with a sincerely happy smile on her face. "This is the most fun I've had in weeks."

"Too bad about the movie, though," he chuckled.

"You were more entertaining at dinner than anything on the screen," she shot back.

"I do what I can," Randy said modestly.

It was then that Mary Jane reached out and grabbed Randy, before pulling him in for a kiss.

"W…wow…" Randy mumbled, a silly grin on his face. "I must have built up some _really _good karma…"

"Just my way of saying 'thanks'," Mary Jane winked at him, before she broke away and went into her apartment building, wishing him a good night.

Randy leaned against the door to the apartment for several minutes, savoring the bliss he felt, before he returned to his car and home for the night.

* * *

Harry Osborn leaned back with a satisfied smirk, reading the accounts of the destruction of the Osborn Industries warehouse and its defacement by Jack O' Lantern.

More than ever, he was certain he'd been wise to act when he did.

* * *

Detective Jason Phillip Macendale, of the New York City Police Department's Superhuman Activities Unit, put down the issue of _Popular Mechanics _he was reading as the phone rang for the call he had been eagerly anticipating.

"Macendale here…No, Osborn doesn't suspect a thing…Yeah, it was completely defaced…You could tell Osborn was pissed…Does he think we were responsible? Too soon to tell, really…Want I should just keep at it?...Will do. See you around…"

As he hung up the phone and picked p his magazine again, Macendale couldn't help but wonder what his colleagues in the police department would say if they saw the electric wrist-blasters and concussion grenades he enjoyed tinkering with in his spare time.

Not that he really gave a rat's ass, though.

* * *

_**Several days later…**_

Donald Gill kicked back in contentment as he flipped through the copy of _Penthouse _Uncle Reggie had given him during the last family visit he had been allowed. His cell walls plastered with pinups of swimsuit models and pictures of assorted family members in their own prison uniforms, Gill would have by any account been an average petty criminal, except for his snow-white skin and hair, ice blue eyes, and the power restraints around his wrists.

Donnie would have preferred to be incarcerated with the rest of his male relatives in the main wing of Riker's Island Penitentiary, except for the fact that an accident involving waste refrigeration chemicals at Osborn Industries had imbued him with incredible superhuman powers to generate and control ice, snow and cold. Taking his grandfather's advice to look for the big score, Donnie had become the costumed supervillain known as Blizzard, a venture that lasted all of one armored car robbery before he had been defeated by Spider-Woman in her first battle with a supervillain.

Many criminals would have been angry at this, and sworn revenge on their nemesis, but Donnie simply took it as a badge of honor to be included in that rare pantheon of supervillains who had been the first ones to be defeated by a particular hero. This exclusive club included such distinguished company as the Shocker (defeated by a rookie Spider-Man), the Jester (defeated by a novice Daredevil), and 8-Ball (defeated by the newly appeared Sleepwalker), and Donnie was proud to count himself among their ranks. He didn't really bear Spider-Woman any grudge-if anything, he thought it was cool that he had earned his spurs fighting a female heroine, and besides being in jail for the last three months had allowed him to spend more time with his family.

Hence it was that Donnie was caught completely off guard as a maximum security lockdown was announced, and the various other supervillains that occupied that portion of Riker's Island known as the Raft, a special facility constructed for super-powered villains. Guards ran past, herding the villains into their cells, as the Guardsmen who acted as additional deterrence assembled in the main hall on red alert.

"What's going on?" Donnie asked through the bars of his cell to one of the guards, who was trying to drag a cursing Electro back to his cell.

"You haven't heard, Gill?" the guard cursed, as one of his fellows came over to help him with Electro. "Some white-skinned freak caused a massive jailbreak at Ravencroft Asylum, let all the super-powered whackjobs over there loose. They're running amuck through New York!"

"So?" Donnie shrugged.

"We're all busting out tonight!" Electro shouted in victory, kicking at the guards with a wicked smile on his face. "And New York's gonna _burn!_"

"The hell it will, Dillon!" the second guard cursed, before he sprayed Electro with mace. Cursing in frustration, he turned back to Gill.

"Don't you watch the fucking news?" he scowled at Donnie before he and the other guard dragged Electro away.

Donnie only shrugged. He didn't socialize much with the other supervillains, finding the majority of them to be obnoxious jerks who spent most of their time ranting to each other about how they were going to kill Spider-Man or Darkhawk or Moon Knight, bragging about their own villainous exploits, or insulting each other for ending up back in jail for the sixth or seventh time.

While Donnie knew he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, he figured that too many of his fellow super-criminals really needed to rethink their priorities.

It was thus that he simply climbed back onto his bunk and resumed reading his nudie magazine, confident that the Guardsmen would keep everything under control.

Donald Gill received a rude awakening when he heard the roof of the Raft brutally torn open, and then the sickening, hideous laughter that sent chills down his spine. Jumping off his bunk in alarm and looking through his cell door, he was confronted with the sight of the hideous white-skinned, skull-faced thing and the eerie green energy it emanated from its eyes, engulfing everything in sight.

All around Donnie, everything turned to bedlam as the Guardsmen seemingly went insane, babbling about any number of subjects. The skull-faced thing, covered in spikes and spines-Psyko, Donnie now remembered it being called-then cast its green eyebeams over the cell doors and power restraints of the supervillains, causing them to come to life with a twisted agony of their own before they shattered. Now free, the supervillains cheered Psyko loudly, as they prepared to escape.

But Psyko wasn't finished, laughing hysterically as he cast his insanity over the villains themselves. Soon they too were screaming and ranting to themselves as their bodies began to act with a will of their own, seemingly under Psyko's control.

Paralyzed by fear, all Donnie could do was stand there as the green energies wafted over him. Everything went black for a moment, before the nightmare began.

Mom, Dad, Grandpa Mikey, Uncle Edgar, Auntie Raye, Cousin Fred, Cousin Reggie, Cousin Bart, his sister Carrie, Auntie Susan, Uncle Joey, Grandma Louise, and everyone else in the Gill clan…Donnie saw every one of them. Their throats were cut by prison shivs…they died at the hands of vigilante convenience store clerks…they were shot by the rest of the gang after an argument over the take…they were murdered for their welfare cheques…

Every.

Single.

One.

Over and over and over and over again.

And all Donnie could do was scream, even as the powers he had acquired as Blizzard were turned loose on the streets of New York at Psyko's command.

* * *

Spider-Woman's muscles ached as she held up the ceiling, giving the panicking family time to escape. Her webbing had only managed to slow the collapse of the building-she still had to hold it up to keep it from coming down altogether.

On her way home from work when the riots had broken out, Mary Jane had changed costume just in time to stop a multivehicle smashup that would almost certainly have killed the people in the cars. What she couldn't understand was the sheer level of insanity that had broken out around the city-even random objects began acting crazy, going berserk as if they had minds of their own.

New York seemed to have gone mad, as a veritable army of supervillains and lunatics had been turned loose, causing random mayhem and destruction with their powers as spontaneous outbreaks of madness occurred elsewhere. It was all Spider-Woman had been able to do to rescue many of the victims of the craziness, and she was already breathing heavily. She had simply been too busy simply trying to protect the people who were still sane to stop any of the supervillains, fighting the overwhelming sense of frustration and despair she felt as another disaster broke out every time she seemed to be on top of one.

Breathing heavily as she emerged from the wrecked building, which fell apart as soon as she let up the pressure on the ceiling, she looked around for Avalanche, who she recognized all too well as being behind the earthquakes that had leveled the place. To her immense relief, she saw that Avalanche had apparently already been subdued by Moon Knight, who was binding the crazed mutant with a taut silvery-gray cord before taking off in the opposite direction to take on Electro, whose random lightning bolts had already caused at least one fire.

Spider-Woman would have moved to follow him, except that the people she had just rescued began screaming once again. She felt a sudden chill in the air, and the screaming behind her was all too familiar. Whirling around in alarm, she saw that she didn't recognize the snow-white skin or ice-blue eyes of the new arrival, but the voice behind the screams, to say nothing of the ice storm that seemed to follow him everywhere, reminded her all too well of her old enemy Blizzard.

Concentrating intently, she caught Blizzard square in the back with a sting blast, causing him to turn around and stare straight at her as the family ran for their lives.

"You're a part of this, too?" Spider-Woman scowled at her freezing foe. "I don't care what you're planning, but it ends now!"

"No, Mom! Please, don't hurt her! Dad…why can't you…No, not you too!" Blizzard cried out seemingly at random, even as his arms pointed directly at Spider-Woman. A deadly barrage of ice balls was released at the arachnid heroine, who dodged and rolled out of the way before charging up a sting blast to fire back. Blizzard was faster than she anticipated, managing to stay on her and pummeling her with hail pellets the size of golf balls before switching to barbed icicles that cut into her, raising rivulets of blood on her arms and legs.

Wincing from the pain as she leapt into the air over Blizzard's icicle blasts and coming down on the other side, Spider-Woman dropped to her knees and fired a webline at Blizzard's shin. Giving a brief tug, she pulled the crazed thug off his feet to send him crashing heavily on the ground. She quickly ran towards Blizzard as she fired her sting blasts, hoping to knock him out and end this fight quickly, but once again he recovered more quickly than she anticipated and raised a large wall of ice between them, easily absorbing the blasts. The ice wall then shattered into several large blocks of ice that rained down on Spider-Woman, forcing her to dodge and roll out of the way. To make matters worse, Blizzard had made the ground all around him icy and slippery, causing Spider-Woman to stumble before she used her spider-grip to regain her balance. Even that wasn't enough to avoid a block of ice hitting her square in the chest, clipping her on the head as it bounced off.

Dizzy from the blow, Spider-Woman quickly leapt over the battering ram of ice Blizzard then threw at her. She had no intention of using the same violent tactics she had the first time she'd fought him, knowing full well that any number of innocent passersby could be hurt in the crossfire, along with the fact that the city had suffered enough damage already.

Thinking quickly, Spider-Woman found a better way to end the fight. Jumping onto the roof of a nearby car that was heavily battered by Blizzard's ice storm, she fired her sting blasts at the ice that the frigid villain had created all around his feet. Her guess had been correct-the ice conducted the energy of her sting blasts through to Blizzard, who suddenly stumbled and let up his assault, caught off guard by the blasts. As soon as she saw the opening she had been waiting for, Spider-Woman charged in and caught Blizzard at point-blank range with another sting blast, before hitting him with a quick punch to knock him out.

As Blizzard collapsed, Spider-Woman was about to web him up and leave him for the police, but then it was her turn to be caught off guard as Blizzard stirred back to life several seconds later.

"W…what happened?" he groaned. "Mom? Dad? Grandpa Mikey? Where are-hey!" he said in alarm, looking up into Spider-Woman's face. She quickly stepped back into a fighting stance, her hands glowing with the energy of her sting blasts.

"Hey, hey, no!" Blizzard pleaded, holding up his hands in surrender. "I don't want to fight! You win, you win!"

"…Do you know what's going on here?" Spider-Woman asked him slowly.

Blizzard briefly explained what had happened at the Raft, shuddering as he did so.

"My mind, it was just filled with…oh God," he sobbed. "I was like a...a puppet."

Spider-Woman felt a wave of pity for her supposed enemy, stunned by the fear in his eyes.

"Look, you'd better lay low, alright?" Spider-Woman warned him. "There are still a lot of villains on the loose, and everything's still going crazy. I can't stay, I've got to go."

"Wait!" Blizzard called back to her as she turned to leave.

"Look, I can't stay!" Spider-Woman said in frustration, turning back towards him with a scowl. "There are still too many people in danger!"

"Let me come with you!" Blizzard replied. "You look like you could use some help."

"Come again?" Spider-Woman was flummoxed.

In response, Blizzard began emanating a wave of cool air that washed over Spider-Woman. Tired and worn as she was, adrenaline filling her veins, Spider-Woman savored the deliciously cool and soothing feeling she got from the breeze.

"I can't let my family die," Blizzard said as he continued to cool Spider-Woman down. "There's got to be something I can do!"

She simply stared at him in amazement, stunned by the sincerity in his voice.

"Let's go," she finally said.

* * *

Sting blasts and ice battering rams could both break through rubble that had innocent people trapped, wall-crawling and ice slides provided a helpful way of rescuing people trapped on second-story or higher floors, and spider-webbing and concentrated blasts of snow both made highly effective fire retardant.

The latter function was especially necessary as Spider-Woman and Blizzard made their way uptown, following a trail of increasingly hot fires. At first Spider-Woman had suspected that the destruction was Firebrand's doing-she knew he'd probably be doing this even if he wasn't under that Psyko freak's control-but the truth was just as bad. Up ahead they saw Pyro screaming in terror at the fires being out of control, something Spider-Woman found particularly ironic, since Pyro was also shooting random fireballs everywhere, many of which took human shape and were committing random mayhem all around them.

Conjuring another ice storm, Blizzard set about dousing Pyro's fire creations as Spider-Woman caught Pyro with a sting blast to get his attention. At first the temperature rose as Pyro turned around and fired a long blast of fire at Spider-Woman, but it quickly fell back to more bearable levels as Blizzard fought back by cooling the air. Spider-Woman rolled around the fire blast and quickly sprayed her webbing at Pyro, quickly smothering the flames at the end of his hands and causing him to stumble and fall as he lost his balance. The fiery villain, still crying and shouting about the consuming fires, began emanating flames all over his body to try and burn the webs off, but Spider-Woman was faster, blasting Pyro with another sting blast as she quickly advanced and knocking him out with a final punch.

Pyro slowly began to revive, free of Psyko's malign influence, but Spider-Woman knew full well what the flaming mutant was capable of and blasted him senseless with her sting blasts before he could fully recover. Off in the distance, Spider-Woman and Blizzard could see another mob of people suffering from Psyko's living nightmares, and braced themselves to charge back in...until the people seemingly regained their senses, as in another part of the city, the mysterious hero known as Sleepwalker managed to finally defeat Psyko and put an end to the horror.

* * *

An exhausted Spider-Woman sat down to catch her breath, as Blizzard sat down beside her. They looked at each other uncertainly for several minutes, not sure of what to do next.

"You're not going to web me up for the police, are you?" Blizzard asked Spider-Woman. "Because I'm not going anywhere-I'm going back to jail."

Rationally, Spider-Woman knew she should have been surprised to hear that, but for some reason it didn't astonish her in the least.

"Why did you help me today?" she asked slowly. "The first time we met, you were robbing an armored car. You directly…" she trailed off slightly awkwardly.

"Directly attacked you?" Blizzard grinned. "Yeah, I did. But see, all my family's ever wanted was the big score. If New York were burned to the ground, there'd be nothing left for us to rob!"

Spider-Woman only raised an eyebrow at this.

"I'm a trailer park boy," Blizzard concluded, "not a killer." He stood up to greet the police officers who advanced on them, cheerfully holding out his wrists for the handcuffs and power restraints they were holding in their hands.

"That still doesn't explain why you're willing to go back to jail," Spider-Woman pointed out.

"We're having a family get-together for Auntie Sara's parole hearing in May," Blizzard explained as the police hauled him away. "I don't want to miss it!"

Spider-Woman only stared at him in amazement, before she burst out laughing.

Blizzard laughed with her as the police loaded him into the wagon.

(_**Next Issue:**_ As New York City rebuilds in the aftermath of Psyko's invasion, Mary Jane's life continues on as normal, as she goes with Randy to an auditon of _A Streetcare Named _Desire. But what will happen when Kitty inadvertently tells her cousin Ben Reilly about Mary Jane's activities? And what will happen when Liz finally confronts Harry Osborn on his Unfortunately, Mary Jane realizes she can't worry about these problems when the Brothers Grimm return to resume their fight with Spider-Woman, orchestrating a bizarre new show for their adoring public! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #15: Lights, Camera, Action!)_


	17. Clown Without Pity

In the years since aliens, mutants, magic and superheroes had proven themselves all too real, the people of New York City had proven their resiliency time and again. Whether in dealing with the horrors of invading aliens, rampaging monsters, and the dozens of supervillains that had come to infest the city like a plague, New Yorkers had been beaten down many times before, but had always managed to rebuild.

So it had been in the two weeks since the murderous Psyko had led an army of mentally enslaved supervillains on a rampage through New York. A valiant effort by the city's superheroes and law enforcement officials had managed to defeat Psyko and put an end to the madness he had wrought, and since then New Yorkers had pulled together to rebuild their city. Philanthropists ranging from the likes of technology guru Tony Stark and computer software magnate Marc Spector, to celebrities such as mutant singer Allison Blaire and lawyer Matt Murdock, had all donated substantial sums of money to help the city rebuild.

Mary Jane Watson couldn't help but feel a certain sense of pride as she walked down the street on her way home from work that evening. The rebuilding had been difficult-the Empire State Coffee Shop had taken a fair beating-but her city had once again proven its ability to recover from disaster. As the spectacular Spider-Woman, she had participated in the fight against the supervillains, helping to bring Blizzard back to his senses and capturing the villainous Pyro, to say nothing of the many innocent lives she and Blizzard had saved.

She couldn't help but feel a certain amount of sympathy for Blizzard, who had put his life on the line without hesitation to help her. Although he could have escaped capture like many of the other supervillains who had managed to regain their senses after Psyko's defeat, he had willingly stayed behind and let himself be returned to prison to serve out his sentence.

It was then that Mary Jane froze in amazement.

She was feeling sympathy for Blizzard?

Her first fight with Blizzard had been harsh and violent, and she hadn't felt any remorse in beating him senseless.

But now…

…Now, she simply wasn't sure what she felt.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #15

"CLOWN WITHOUT PITY"

* * *

"Blast it all Percy, what's wrong now?" the man demanded in a confident voice, scowling in frustration. The man's expression suddenly shifted into a look of extreme worry, before he spoke again in a much more timid, childlike voice.

"The stripes…why'd you have to make so many stripes?" he asked plaintively.

It was a valid question, given that the walls of the warehouse basement the man claimed as his lair were painted in bizarre, unsettling patterns of purple and white stripes and spirals. Demented, unsettling furniture decorated the room, crafted to resemble monstrous clowns, demonic teddy bears, maimed toy soldiers, and wicked witches. Paintings depicting superheroes suffering from various gruesome fates hung on the wall, while pint-sized dolls, wolves, and trolls roamed everywhere. In the corner, a large group of tiny spinning wheels were manned by dozens of tiny Rumplestiltskin-like figures, who worked diligently at spinning their master's new costume.

"Please, Percy," the man sniffed disdainfully, again taking on that confident 'Barton' tone, "A good showman always displays a proper sense of aesthetics."

"But-" the man interrupted himself again, taking on that plaintive 'Percy' voice.

"No buts!" the man started once more in his 'Barton' voice. "Our old costume was far too generic, and hardly stood out against those of the dozens of other rogues in the city. If we hope to establish ourselves as performance artists, we must stand out from the crowd!"

As unsettling as the whole scenario was, arguably the most bizarre part was watching the man continually argue with himself. Known to the psychiatrists who had tried to treat him as the 'Brothers Grimm', the man seemed to have two fully aware personalities within him, who continually argued and bickered. Having been released from the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane by the monstrous being known as Psyko, the Brothers had joined the rest of the supervillains in rampaging through New York until Psyko's defeat, at which time the Brothers Grimm regained control of himself.

Fortunately, he had not yet been defeated by the superheroes who had fought to recapture the villains, and so he had managed to escape in the confusion. Now, with the help of his minions, created with his special conjuration powers, and a goodly supply of paint, plywood, and other raw materials looted from the wreckage of a number of buildings, the Brothers had carved a very nice home for himself in the basement of an abandoned warehouse in one of the New York slum areas.

"Do we really have to go after Spider-Woman again?" pleaded Percy. "You remember what she did to us last time!" he reminded Barton. The Brothers' first attempt at what he termed 'performance art', consisting of kidnapping innocent people and forcing them to watch his demented imagery before extracting 'payment' by robbing them blind, had been thwarted by the heroine known as Spider-Woman, who had badly beaten the Brothers in the process of rescuing his hostages.

"Oh, pish posh," Barton waved away his brother's concerns. "We were holding an open audition, and Spider-Woman passed with flying colors. You know full well we were seeking out fresh talent for the act!"

"Again with the act!" Percy shouted, becoming angry for the first time. "Do you realize what kind of crimes we could commit with our powers? Do you realize what kind of potential we're wasting?"

"Blah, blah, blah," Barton said, as the Brothers Grimm rolled his eyes. "You have absolutely no flair for the dramatic, do you know that? Were you yourself not the one who wanted to entertain people, and make them laugh?"

"Not like this!" Percy shouted, as the man's voice took on an infuriated tone. "You've always ruined these things for me! Ever since we were-"

"I grow weary of your tantrums, dear brother," Barton said, causing the man's eyes to narrow as his voice took on a threatening tone. "Remember, _**I **_wield our power. _**I**_ am the one who decides our fate. "You said it yourself…you would not like me when I am angry."

So saying, the Brothers Grimm lapsed into silence, before smiling in satisfaction as he imagined his plans coming together.

* * *

"Tell me again what it is with women and scented candles?" Ben Reilly asked his cousin Kitty Pryde with a half-smile as they strolled through the mall the next afternoon.

"That's classified information," Kitty replied mockingly. "I'd be kicked out of the sisterhood if I told you!"

"Whatever," Ben rolled his eyes. "So Liz's birthday is on Thursday?"

"Yeah," Kitty nodded. "She really likes scented candles."

"Naturally," Ben sighed. "Women and scented candles…it's almost as bad as women and shoes."

That earned him a smack upside the head from Kitty.

"I'm serious," Ben insisted. "I mean, look at your Chucks," he pointed down at Kitty's feet and the green Converse sneakers she was wearing. "How many pairs do you have now?"

"These aren't actually mine," Kitty shook her head. "I just borrowed them from Mary Jane because I wanted to try out these colors for the day. She has almost as many pairs of Converse as I do."

"And then there's women and borrowing each other's clothes," Ben smirked, before he dodged Kitty's next attempted smack. "What's Mary Jane been up to, anyway?"

"Why do you want to know?" Kitty asked teasingly.

"Well…I…" Ben fumbled for a moment.

"If you really want to know, she's been on a couple of dates with Randy Robertson already, and now they're auditioning for a production of _A Streetcar Named Desire _together," Kitty said hesitantly.

"I see," Ben said calmly, despite the heavy frown on his face. "Are they an item, then?"

"Not yet," Kitty replied, "but if you want to make a move, now's the time. Mary Jane really seems to like Randy, so if you want to take a shot at it, you'd better get on it."

Ben only grinned in response.

* * *

"Believe me, it's looking good," Jason Phillip Macendale, a ranking detective on the New York Police Department Superhuman Activities Unit, smiled as he spoke to the man in front of him. "Typhoid Mary's still on the loose and ready for action, and Daredevil took care of Screaming Mimi for us."

"What about Deadpool?" the other man asked.

"He's still on the loose out there, unfortunately," Macendale shrugged. "I dropped the hint to Moon Knight when I met him after he busted the Maggia's hashish operation. Moon Knight was probably too busy dealing with the Grim Reaper again."

The other man in the room only smiled. Commonly known in the underworld as 'Fancy Dan', he was in charge of internal affairs and administration of the Kingpin's criminal empire. Along with Montana (in charge of drug deals, prostitution, counterfeiting, and the other 'quiet industries') and the Ox (in charge of enforcement and dealing with external threats), the three Enforcers, as they liked to call themselves, were the lieutenants who dealt with the day-to-day business of their boss's crime syndicate.

Detective Macendale was one of Fancy Dan's own personal projects. The criminal rackets in the New York area were some of the most competitive in the world, with the Kingpin having to compete with the likes of the flamboyant up-and-coming mob boss who called himself 'Crimewave', the French expatriate racketeer and drug smuggler Phillipe Bazin, and the European crime syndicate popularly known as the Maggia. Even the new breed of costumed supervillains were trying to get in on the act, with the Green Goblin notoriously attempting to seize control of the New York underworld.

In response to such challenges, the enterprising Fancy Dan had realized that both the costumed superheroes who had appeared in recent years, as well as the conventional law enforcement groups, wanted the crime syndicates stopped. Hence Dan had realized the advantages of manipulating the police and the superheroes to the Kingpin's own benefit-the proper management of the authorities by crooked police officers could lead to the imprisonment of the Kingpin's competition, while allowing his own men to walk free. Any success against the rival crime organizations would allow the crooked officers to maintain their cover too. After all, successful officers who were responsible for helping capture many of the prominent criminals in New York were much less likely to be suspected of corruption.

Macendale was one of those officers, who repaid the generous bribes he was given by Fancy Dan to ensure that many of the Kingpin's rivals were seriously hindered in their criminal enterprises. Individual supervillains, who often found work with the various syndicates, could also be arrested if they worked for the competition.

Fancy Dan leaned back in his chair, satisfied and secure with the work Macendale had done. Opening a drawer in his desk, he took out a block of hundred-dollar bills and tossed it to Macendale, who took the money, nodded and left Dan's office.

For the moment, Dan might have felt secure. Of course, he might have been less so if he'd been able to read Macendale's mind and see the seething rage the corrupt cop felt for his boss.

_Fucking arrogant son of a bitch, _Macendale was thinking to himself as he headed for his car. _Looks down on me, thinks he's all that…When I blow his goddamn head off…_

* * *

Typing away intently at his computer, Harry Osborn didn't get up to answer the door when he first heard the knock. However, as the knocking continued and became more insistent, Harry finally became fed up with the interruption. Figuring it was Mary Jane come to bother him again, he got up and stormed to the door, resolving to tell her off and slam the door in her face.

Instead, he found the concerned, frowning face of Liz Allan, his girlfriend.

Everything Harry initially resolved to say fell away as he wordlessly invited Liz in. Gesturing to the two chairs in front of the television, he sat down in one as Liz took her seat in the other.

"What's up?" Harry asked bluntly.

"You know what's up, don't you?" Liz asked gently. "The dropping out of school, your disappearing for weeks at a time, the calls and e-mails you don't answer. What's going on, Harry?"

"I've got things I need to take care of," Harry said, waving his hand in dismissal. "They're the most important thing right now."

"You didn't answer my question," Liz replied, a little more pointedly now. "Are you having problems? Is there something I can help you with?"

"No," Harry said, too quickly. "Everything's fine."

"No it isn't," Liz insisted. "This isn't like you, Harry. You never even talk to me, to any of us anymore. There's clearly something bothering you. Can't we help you?"

"No, you can't!" Harry snapped back at her, anger rising in his voice. "You can't do anything!"

"What do you mean?" Liz demanded, her own voice rising with hurt. "Aren't we your friends? Why won't you let us-"

"Because there's nothing you can do!" Harry finally shouted. "You can't help me!"

"Harry…" Liz said quietly, despite the pain in her voice. "I just want to-"

"Just want to help?" he smirked in reply. "Unless you can find a way to put the screws to someone who really deserves it, there's fuck-all you can do."

"…What?" Liz asked in surprise. "Who would I…"

"Who do you think?" Harry sneered. "Always looking down on me, gushing over guys like Peter Parker, making cracks about how all his good genes are recessive, yelling at me to shape up and quit disgracing the family name…"

"…You mean your father?" Liz asked in surprise.

"Got that in one," Harry rolled his eyes. "You know, Mary Jane was right- the old man probably would rather have that Peter Parker guy as his son."

"…So what are you doing?" Liz wondered. "Is this what you're-"

"You really want to know what I'm doing?" Harry grinned. "I'm going to fuck the old man over. Big time. He'll never see it coming."

"How are you going to do it?" Liz began, not liking where this was going.

"Relax, it won't be anything the bastard didn't have coming," Harry assured her.

Liz frowned and hardly seemed convinced.

"Harry, is this going to be-" she began.

His eyes flared.

"What, you think I'm going to do something illegal?" he demanded.

"No Harry, I-" she began.

"That's it, get the hell out!" he shouted, standing up and pointing at the door. "You can't trust me or something?"

"You haven't given me a whole lot of reason!" Liz shot back, fear turning to anger.

"This is too important for anybody to fuck it up!" Harry yelled back at her. "Now get out! Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out!"

"Harry-" Liz started, her jaw dropping open in shock.

"You heard me!" Harry continued. "Don't make me repeat myself!"

Tears in her eyes, Liz turned her back and marched to the door. She looked over her shoulder one last time at Harry, before she slammed the door.

Now it was Harry's turn to have tears form in his eyes. He knew how badly he had treated her, not just tonight but for the last several weeks, and not a day hadn't gone by that he wasn't cursing himself for it.

Still, it had to be done.

There was just no other way around it.

* * *

The Aristophanes Playhouse was like many others in New York's off-Broadway theater district, catering to smaller productions for aspiring actors and theatre students like Mary Jane and Randy Robertson. Not particularly large or prestigious, it nonetheless offered a way for novices and unknowns to get in the door.

It was with those thoughts in mind that Mary Jane and Randy stepped into the main auditorium, where they gathered with a number of other people who had come to audition. Falling into conversation, the would-be actors were interrupted by a loud whistle blown from the seats, followed by a series of calls for them to line up on stage and prepare their lines.

Turning in surprise, they saw a short, pale-skinned man with curly black hair, dressed all in red, swaggering down the main aisle between the seats and flouncing up on stage, before glaring at the people in front of him. He surveyed them with a critical eye of disdain, before he began addressing them in a haughty voice with a notable English accent.

"Greetings to one and all," he began, "I am Archibald Llewellyn, proprietor of the Aristophanes Playhouse and director of this performance. Long have I yearned to do justice to the works of Master Tennessee Williams, and now I shall realize my opportunity. Stand before me, and prove yourselves if you be worthy avatars for the dramatis personae!"

Mary Jane and Randy looked at one another in surprise, wondering if this character was for real, before they shrugged and began reading out their lines. Mr. Llewellyn more than lived up to their expectations with catty insults and sneering condescension that led more than one participant to cuss and throw their scripts at him before marching offstage in disgust.

With increasing trepidation, Mary Jane went over her lines once again before her turn came up. When it did, she swallowed hard and recited her piece. Rather than the role of Blanche DuBois, Mary Jane had decided to try for the role of Stella Kowalski, thinking that she'd have a better chance of landing a role that would have had fewer people competing for it.

To her surprise, Mr. Llewellyn said nothing at first, simply folding his arms and staring intently at her, his eyes narrowed.

"Tell me, child," he finally began, an edge of contempt in his voice, "for what reason have you chosen to audition for my play?"

That was something she hadn't expected.

"I've always loved the works of Tennessee Williams," she replied uncertainly. "And I believe that I can do the character of Stella justice."

"Quite so," Mr. Llewellyn said calmly as he frowned. "Quite so."

He wrote something down in a little notebook he carried with him, his frown narrowing into a scowl.

* * *

"That was odd," Mary Jane shook her head to Randy as they left the Aristophanes Playhouse after the auditions were done.

"What was?" Randy asked her, quite pleased with himself. He'd nailed the audition cold, and could already see himself in the role of Stanley Kowalski.

"Just the way that guy acted," Mary Jane replied.

"You mean like Roderick Kingsley?" Randy asked, suddenly alarmed.

"No, not like that," Mary Jane shook her head. "Why'd he have to go and insult people like that?"

"MJ, this is the New York drama scene," Randy rolled his eyes. "The only place where you'll find more rampaging egomaniacs is Los Angeles."

"Yeah, but why didn't he insult us the way he did the other actors?" Mary Jane wondered.

"Well, we were the youngest ones there," Randy noted, recalling how most of the other actors had ranged from their late twenties to early forties. "Maybe he just wanted to take it easy on us? We're still just kids by his standards, after all."

"Maybe," Mary Jane demurred. "He sure didn't pull his punches with the other people."

"Ah well," Randy shrugged. "If we make it, so much the better. If we don't, there's always next time, right?"

* * *

Life as a computer technician wasn't particularly exciting for Jessica Drew, but it paid her bills. Every day it was the same walk from her apartment to the bus stop, down to her job at the computer repair shop, and then back again in the evening. It was somewhat bland and boring, but then Jessica actually rather liked bland and boring, as did her fiancé Jerry. In fact, that was one of the reasons she and Jerry intended to leave New York as soon as they had saved up enough money-the city was too loud, too vibrant, and too eventful for their tastes.

Unfortunately for Jessica, her walk to the repair shop was interrupted as she passed by the TV station after she got off the bus that morning. The windows of the station's ground floor were curiously glittering, catching her eye. As Jessica stopped briefly, she looked into the window, noting the curious sparkles. Unfortunately, as she came in for a closer look, the glitter on the windows seemed to fly off with a mind of its own, flying towards her as if in response to her presence.

Jessica backed off in alarm, but it was too late, as she breathed in the glitter.

It was then that Jessica became perfectly calm. Opening the front door to the studio, she walked in and took the elevator to the third floor, where she found a soundstage all set up and ready to go, complete with a camera crew and studio audience. They all sat or stood in perfect, stoic silence, acting as if they were in church. The only one not behaving that way came up to her with a winning smile.

"You have an admission fee?" Jessica's host asked her. "Please pay it here."

In response, Jessica handed over her purse, her watch and her jewelry, putting it all in a pile the host had set aside for the purposes.

"Ah, good," the host smiled. "Then I guess we're-"

"We don't need the zombie dust anymore, Barton!" the host suddenly interrupted himself in a whining voice. "Let's get rid of it before we're interrupted!" he said to himself, snapping his fingers in the knowledge that the dust the host had smeared on the outside windows would evaporate into nothingness.

"Now then dearie, please take your seat," the host instructed Jessica. "Over there, the last seat up in the nosebleed sections. And don't forget the rope!" he added, as Jessica again complied with his instructions.

The technical staff in the other room was ready to interrupt the station's current broadcast, the cameramen were on standby, and the host had his studio audience.

The host realized everything was ready, as he burst into hysterical laughter.

"It's SHOWTIME!" he cackled.

* * *

University schedules being what they were, modern college students often found themselves at home in the middle of the day waiting between classes. Such was the position Mary Jane found herself in that morning, as she wrapped up her English homework. Her hunger gnawing at her, she decided to take a lunch break, hopefully catching the last of _The Price Is Right _before it ended.

Munching on a ham sandwich, Mary Jane was generally at ease as she flipped through the channels, her problems with her limited money supply, her parents, and her issues as Spider-Woman far from her mind. Unfortunately, it was while she was channel surfing that she saw a sight that very nearly caused her to choke on her food in horror.

She didn't recognize the soundstage that the "show" was being broadcast on, but she recognized that hideous laughter anywhere. Firebrand's laughter was more sadistic, Jack O' Lantern's was more malicious, but neither of them were as hysterical and unhinged as the voice she recognized all too well.

"Hello, New York!" the Brothers Grimm laughed as he waved to everyone watching the broadcast. At first Mary Jane didn't recognize him in his black-and-white-striped Beetlejuice suit, or the open straitjacket he wore overtop of it, or the loud purple jester's hat he wore on his head and the grinning harlequin mask that covered his face, but she quickly realized that only the Brothers Grimm would wear something so bizarre.

Sick with horror, she could only watch as the Brothers continued his manic speech.

"Today, as a once-in-a-lifetime television event, I offer all you good people out there in TV Land the rematch of a lifetime!" the Brothers Grimm said grandly, hamming it up for all it was worth. "In one corner, it's going to be me, that notoriously knavish ne'er-do-well known as the Brothers Grimm, and in the other it'll be that stunningly spectacular superheroine known as Spider-Woman, in a fight to the finish, broadcast for all the world to see!"

"You see," the Brothers Grimm continued modestly, as he gestured behind him, "I've got what you might call a 'captive audience'," he grinned, "and they're holding out for a hero to save them!"

As the Brothers Grimm spoke, the cameras focused on him turned to focus on the studio audience. Mary Jane was sick with horror as she saw the long hangman's nooses dangling from the rafters, tied around the necks of each of the studio audience members.

"Everyone in the building," the Brothers proclaimed, "is under the control of my special magical zombie dust. If I were to order them to leave themselves 'hanging'," he sniggered at his joke, "then they'll all be quite literally fit to be tied. Oh, and FYI," he suddenly warned them, taking on a deadly serious tone, "don't anybody out there in the police, or any of you other heroes, like Daredevil or Darkhawk or whoever, get any ideas about meddling with my fun. I've planted enough egg bombs on every floor of this building to blow it halfway to Wonderland! If anybody but Spider-Woman comes through in, I'm going to blow my top. And if I blow my top, so does this building!" he said angrily.

"So please, please hurry, Spider-Woman" the Brothers Grimm pleaded, suddenly taking on his plaintive childlike 'Percy' voice. "You're these peoples' only hope…"

Torn between horror at the Brothers' threats and anger at what they were doing to the defenseless hostages he had enslaved, Mary Jane needed no second bidding.

* * *

Spider-Woman fought desperately to keep her swiftly rising anger under control as she swung towards the television station. She could feel all her old rage and frustration boiling up again-after all, wasn't she the reason that the Brothers Grimm had kidnapped all those innocent people and threatened to murder them? After all, the whole reason for this insanity was just to force her into a rematch with him.

Many of the people who saw her swinging towards the TV station had cheered her on, encouraging her to beat the Brothers Grimm, but she had heard the curses and insults all the louder, accusing her of being the reason the Brothers was holding all those people hostage.

Not that she bore them a grudge for doing so-they were right, after all.

It was with those thoughts in mind that she made her way into the TV studio and up to the third-floor soundstage, just as the Brothers had told her to. Nothing had changed in the few minutes it had took her to get there-the Brothers had apparently passed the time juggling what looked disturbingly like severed teddy bear heads. As the bear heads flew from one hand into the other, they promptly vanished as the Brothers dismissed them.

"So nice to see you again, my dear!" the Brothers Grimm smiled at Spider-Woman as she strode onto the soundstage. "Did you miss me?"

Spider-Woman only stared back at him with cold anger.

"Look, we just want to put on a good show," the Brothers interrupted in his 'Percy' voice. "So please don't-"

"This is just to put on a _show?_" Spider-Woman exploded in a rage at the Brothers. Raising her hands, she fired a double sting blast at the Brothers, who whooped with joy as he conjured a flying carpet to raise him above the blasts.

"And awayyyy we go!" he said grandly, tossing a barrage of exploding Easter eggs at Spider-Woman, who backflipped out of the way and leapt into the air, spinning a web and coming at the Brothers with a vicious swing kick. The Brothers swiftly dodged out of the way and threw a whoopee cushion at Spider-Woman that exploded with a loud wheezing sound, releasing a cloud of stinking gas. Gagging from the stench, Spider-Woman was unable to defend herself against the oversized yo-yo the Brothers struck her with as he flew by.

Knocked off her webline, Spider-Woman landed heavily on the ground as the Brothers threw a barrage of meat cleavers after her, conjuring the weapons seemingly out of nowhere. She rolled out of the way to dodge, managing to avoid most of them except for one that painfully tore across the back of her leg. Binding the injury with webbing and staggering to her feet, she dodged the next cleaver and fired back a sting blast in retaliation. The Brothers swooped out of the way to dodge it, before Spider-Woman fired a webline with her free hand and caught the Brothers' carpet, yanking it out from under him.

Now it was the Brothers' turn to freefall, before he conjured a golden star with a swing hanging from it. He managed to stop his fall, but it did no good as he proved an easy target for Spider-Woman's next sting blast, which knocked him off the swing and sent him crashing down onto a wooden table. The table gave way under the impact and dropped the Brothers onto the concrete floor, leaving him stunned as Spider-Woman charged at him.

Beginning to laugh hysterically behind his mask, the Brothers gestured at Spider-Woman and a trail of glittering dust flew from his hands towards her. Spider-Woman was not fooled, however, and instead stopped short. Shooting a webline at the prone Brothers, she dragged him through his own dust, causing him to begin coughing and sneezing, before punching him in the face.

Gagging from being exposed to his own dust, the Brothers threw a collection of exploding jacks at Spider-Woman, forcing her to stop short before he conjured a toy dragon that breathed a line of very real fire. Spider-Woman ducked frantically, but winced in pain as the tail end of the blast scorched her back. Reeling from the pain and the next few fireballs the dragon breathed at her, Spider-Woman was unable to attack as the Brothers Grimm regained his advantage.

"Poor little spider," the Brothers Grimm said mockly, as a golden cloud appeared beneath his feet and he rose into the air once more. "Did the big bad dragon hurt you? Don't feel too bad-our ratings are getting through the roof!"

Behind her mask, Spider-Woman's eyes flared wickedly.

"This is all for _ratings?_" she shouted in anger as she sprung into the air and spun a webline. In response to Spider-Woman's swinging kick, the Brothers Grimm threw a lightning bolt at her, which easily snapped the webbing. Spider-Woman had seen that coming, however, and easily and quickly dodged from webline to webline, staying one step ahead of the Brothers' attempts to blast her.

"You just had to make her mad!" the Brothers Grimm cursed himself in his Percy voice. "You just _had _to make her mad!"

Growling in frustration, the Brothers' Barton voice simply kept up the pressure and switched instead to a net of golden straw, which he flung at Spider-Woman as it spread out with a mind of its own.

Instead of dodging as the Brothers had anticipated, Spider-Woman simply dropped straight down on her latest webline until it was pulled taut as it reached its limit. The backswing of the webline sent Spider-Woman careening towards the ceiling, where she made a three-point landing with her wall-crawling powers. Spraying her webbing with both hands, she caught the net of golden straw and flung it right back at the Brothers, entrapping the lunatic in his own netting and adding a barrage of her own webs for good measure.

The Brothers Grimm fell off his cloud as he struggled to free himself, before Spider-Woman sprayed another webline to connect him from the ceiling. Dangling helplessly, the Brothers Grimm finally managed to dispel his straw net, but he remained hanging upside-down, half entangled in Spider-Woman's webs. Seizing the opportunity, Spider-Woman gave him two more double blasts of her stings, before the Brothers finally fell unconscious.

Spider-Woman covered the Brothers in another layer of webbing before she lowered him to the floor. Already, the effects of his magical conjurations were disappearing, as the audience and camera crew were freed the effects of the Brothers' hypnotic zombie dust. Many of them burst into cheering Spider-Woman as she lowered the unconscious Brothers Grimm to the ground.

She would have turned to acknowledge them, except that the Brothers had twitched back to life. Alarmed, she spun around and prepared another sting blast, except that she paused at the quiet, sad voice in which the Brothers spoke.

"I'm so, so, sorry…" the Brothers Grimm mumbled in his Percy voice. "Barton made us do all this, not me."

"What do you mean, Barton?" Spider-Woman demanded, as she knelt down to remove the Brothers' harlequin mask. Much to her surprise, the man underneath stared back at her with wide, frightened eyes.

"You don't know what it's like," Percy Grimes sobbed, tears forming in his eyes. "Living with him every single day of your life…"

"Living with him?" Spider-Woman wondered, anger turning to confusion. "Who are you living with, your other personality?" she asked, more gently this time as several of the hostages came up around them.

"If it were only that," Percy said sadly. "No, Barton's very real. He's my brother."

"How can he be your brother when there's only one of you?" Spider-Woman wondered, as the police and paramedics came into the soundstage.

"Have you ever heard of chimerism?" Percy asked her.

"What?" Spider-Woman asked in surprise.

"Chimerism," Percy replied mournfully, before spelling it out for her. "Look it up on Wikipedia, and you'll see what we truly are."

Tears fell down his cheeks as the police picked him up in the web net and took him away.

* * *

Having looked it up on Wikipedia, Mary Jane was left more confused than ever about the Brothers Grimm's claims.

What could he have meant?

Mary Jane realized it didn't really matter for the moment. She was more concerned about the coverage of her fight with the Brothers, which had been televised and had been reproduced on YouTube and a hundred other websites. Comments had ranged from those cheering Spider-Woman on to those cursing her for inciting the maniacal Brothers Grimm to put all those people in danger.

She couldn't help but feel more than a little guilty, particularly since the Brothers Grimm had threatened to murder at least two dozen people just to get her to come out and fight him.

_I just want to do what's right, _she thought sadly as she lay down to sleep that night.

_But what do I do when I put even more people in danger because of it? _

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane must put her worries about her superheroing on hold, as she's confronted with a much more immediate problem when Liz pleads for her help in trying to deal with Harry Osborn. In the midst of all that, she's also forced to deal with the simultaneous intentions of Ben and Randy. Meanwhile, in the background the mysterious Moonstone begins to play a bizarre psychological game! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #16: Bad Moon Rising!)_


	18. Bad Moon Rising

Dr. Karla Sofen typed away contentedly at her computer, ignoring the sounds of the marching Guardsmen as they passed by her office. In the three weeks since the horrific jailbreak at the Ravencroft Asylum for the Criminally Insane, when the asylum's entire security system had been mysteriously disabled and all of its super-powered inmates escaped in a massive jailbreak, security at the mental hospital had been tripled. Rotating groups of no less than four Guardsmen watched over each of the major control areas that controlled the mansion's security system, which had been split into several separate and specially isolated mainframes. No single administrator could disable the entire security system by themselves anymore, with different administrators being given top-secret passcodes that only they were given.

Such procedures didn't bother Dr. Sofen in the least, given her appreciation of proper regulations and careful attention to detail. Indeed, she had been fascinated by the lengths to which the government had gone to reinforce security measures at the asylum. Money was no object, as state and federal coffers alike had been opened to pay for more guards and doubly reinforce security measures. Citizens who routinely groused about paying taxes usually tended to clam up when they were afraid that they would be in genuine physical danger, after all.

And then there had been the reactions of the supervillains, most of whom had been infected by Psyko's insanity and forced to continuously relive their worst nightmares over and over again, even as their bodies became puppets under Psyko's control. Some of them had been traumatized by the experience, and were just as horrified as any ordinary person, while others had simply shrugged it off before resuming their normal thought patterns. Many of the villains who had managed to avoid capture after Psyko's defeat had returned to the same types of crimes they had always committed, picking up their fights with their heroic enemies as if nothing had ever happened.

Shaking out her long blonde hair, Dr. Sofen leaned back in her chair as she reflected on these questions.

Almost instinctively, she fingered the bright golden pendant around her neck, which was normally hidden underneath her clothes.

In spite of herself, Dr. Sofen couldn't resist bringing the pendant out into the open when no one was around.

It was so beautiful, after all.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #16

"BAD MOON RISING"

* * *

Groaning in frustration, Mary Jane Watson rose from her chair and stomped into the kitchen to get some coffee. As she made herself a fresh pot, she reflected on the irony of fighting crime as a superheroine being so much easier than trying to make sure one's bills were regularly paid on time. For the moment, she had the apartment to herself, as Kitty Pryde wasn't back from her afternoon classes. And to be honest Mary Jane was actually grateful for the solitude, as it gave her time to get caught up on her bills…her homework…her mother's alimony payments…her waitressing job…her lines for _A Streetcar Named Desire…_

Yawning wearily, Mary Jane checked her watch. To her surprise, it was only 2:30 in the afternoon, even if it had felt like much longer. She realized she had been up far too late last night, trying to finish her Biology assignment after she had spent much of the evening getting caught up in a hostage-taking at a local office building. With her help as Spider-Woman, the police had managed to capture the hostage-taker and release his prisoners…except for the fact that it took over six hours, cutting well into the time Mary Jane had intended to spend working on her Biology project. Between that and all the other work she had needed to get caught up on, she had been up until almost 2 AM.

Fortunately, she'd had the evening off from work, but tonight she was working the early shift, something that didn't please her at all. That realization had made Mary Jane more than a little grumpy, and she'd gone the whole morning with a fairly sour look on her face. Wisely, Kitty had realized Mary Jane wasn't in a talking mood, and had left her alone. Mary Jane's mood hadn't been improved by her having to work out her grocery bills, her half of the April rent, and the amount of money she still owed Kitty for paying the March rent…

Now, continually muttering under her breath, Mary Jane's nerves were rubbed raw and ready to snap.

The knock at the door was the final straw, as she stood up and marched over to answer it, ready to slam it in the face of whoever the hell was bothering her.

Anger turned to concern as she flung open the door, seeing the deeply troubled face of her old friend Liz Allan.

"…Liz?" Mary Jane started in confusion, before she regained her composure. "Is something wrong?" she asked gently, her annoyance gone in an instant.

"I need to talk to you, MJ," Liz said, looking down at the floor. "I don't know who else I can ask about this-it's…" she trailed off.

"Here, come on," Mary Jane said, leading Liz into the apartment and shutting the door behind them. "Now what's wrong?" she asked, sitting down with Liz on the couch.

"I know I haven't been around much," Liz started apologetically, "but with midterms and everything else, I've been so busy-"

"It's fine," Mary Jane assured her, waving away her concerns. "Now, what's the problem?"

"It's Harry," Liz said sadly. "I don't know what's wrong with him, but I just have a feeling something terrible's going to happen with him."

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked, trying not to sound too alarmed.

"I hardly ever see him anymore," Liz sighed. "He disappears for days at a time, meeting with these strange men I've never seen before, he's always involved with some kind of paperwork, and he…he…"

"It's okay, Liz," Mary Jane said softly. "You can tell me…"

"He just gets this strange look in his eyes when he mentions his father," Liz continued, worry evident in her voice. "He just goes crazy."

"Have you tried talking to him?" Mary Jane asked, not liking where this was going at all.

"He won't listen to me," Liz replied, tears forming in her eyes as she leaned against Mary Jane. "It's like I don't even exist anymore…"

Mary Jane hugged Liz tightly, patting her gently on the shoulder, but she was seething with rage on the inside as she recalled what Harry had told her.

_"Don't even start with me, Harry," Mary Jane muttered, as she moved to sit down again. "I have enough problems without having to deal with your crap." _

_"Funny, I could say the same thing about you," Harry retorted, not backing down an inch. "And that's not the only thing-remember how you told me about how Liz was a saint in putting up with my bullshit? Well, you were right…but again I could say the same thing about Liz being a saint in putting up with your crap, too."_

_Mary Jane recoiled in surprise. _

_"…What do you mean?" she asked slowly, no anger in her voice this time. _

_"You know exactly what I mean," Harry told her bluntly. "That's all you ever do when you're with Liz, complaining about your problems and snapping at her when she tries to help you." _

"I'll try talking to him," Mary Jane said determinedly. "He was right the first time, you know-you've had to put up with both our crap for way too long, Liz."

"I just wish I knew what I could do," Liz said, holding Mary Jane's hand. "I can't decide…"

"Let me try talking to Harry," Mary Jane assured her. "I've had some problems with my father too-maybe I can figure out what's going on."

"I'd really appreciate it, MJ," Liz smiled back. "It just kills me to see him like that."

Mary Jane felt just as bad, not just for Liz, but also for how poorly she'd treated Harry the first time she'd tried talking to him.

She was determined not to screw it up again.

* * *

The Bar With No Name was the place to be seen for New York's criminal community, a high-end club with drinks, dancing girls, music and all kind of other "pleasures", any of which could be had for the right price. Street gangs, drug dealers, pimps and other criminal lowlifes had been flocking to the Bar for years, but in the last decade it had become the bar of choice for the city's supervillain population. Patrons that walked in wearing bizarre and outlandish outfits were no longer seen as so unusual, and were in fact welcomed by the management, given how much money they usually tended to spend.

It was for that reason that the young blonde woman dressed in the golden body armor and silver boots, gloves and helmet was greeted more with smiles and waves rather than stares and shouts. Her long hair flowing free behind a face covered by an impassive mask, she casually walked up to the bar and ordered a drink, before looking around for a suitable candidate.

She soon found what she was looking for in the man in the green armor sitting by himself at a table. His boots and gloves were purple, as was the strange pod-like device on his back. A purple beetle-like helmet with golden eyes sat on the table next to his glass, marking him out to those in the know as the Beetle, a longtime enemy of Spider-Man and Daredevil and a respected member of the supervillain community.

"Mind a little company?" the Beetle looked up in surprise as he heard a husky feminine voice. Blinking in surprise, he was caught somewhat off guard by the young woman in front of him, the bottom of her face mask revealing a mouth and a lovely white smile.

"Not at all," the Beetle smiled back, gesturing with his beer as he invited her to sit down. "I take it you're new," he continued, "since I've never seen you here before, that you're new to the profession?"

"Just sounding out the details," the woman answered. "You are…the Beetle, I take it?"

"My fame precedes me," the Beetle chuckled. "I've tangled with Spider-Man, Daredevil and Moon Knight, though usually just the first two. Have you fought any heroes yet?"

The woman shook her head.

"Like you said, I'm new to the profession," she replied. "I suppose you could call me…Moonstone," she finally said after just the right amount of hesitation.

"A pleasure," the Beetle nodded. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Well, like you said, I'm new to the profession," Moonstone explained. "And I was hoping to learn a little more about supervillainy before I get started. Truth be told, I've often wondered why costumed supervillains do the things they do. Ten years ago, they were just flights of fantasy in comic books, and now they're a part of real life."

"We also tend to be larger than life too," the Beetle laughed. "So, what exactly did you want to know?"

"I might as well start with the question most civilians would ask," Moonstone started. "With all their skills and talents, why do supervillains use them to rob banks or commit other crimes, when they could earn huge fortunes legitimately? If you have all this technology, or all these amazing powers, why not use them in honest work? That way, you wouldn't have to keep fighting superheroes, and you'd get to keep all your money without going to jail?"

"Of course," the Beetle sighed as he rolled his eyes. "I should have known you'd start out asking that. You really want to know?"

"You bet," Moonstone answered.

"Alright, here we go," the Beetle nodded. "Supervillains get asked that question all the time, and the answer is so boring we're usually tempted to come up with some sort of complicated Freudian bullshit to explain it all."

"So what _is _the answer?" Moonstone wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"The answer, quite simply, is that supervillains commit crimes for the exact same reasons that ordinary criminals who display remarkable talents, planning, resources and ingenuity have been committing _their _crimes for decades," the Beetle began. "Just look at the resources drug runners put into smuggling their product, the efforts counterfeiters put into producing funny money, the ingenuity displayed by purveyors of bogus sports memorabilia or art forgeries when they produce their fake merchandise, or the planning that goes into white-collar crime, like the looting of Enron and WorldCom a few years ago."

"The people who pull that crap off all showed amazing initiative and resourcefulness," the Beetle pointed out. "Most of them, hell probably all of them, could have made legitimate names for themselves without risking having to go to jail. Why are supervillains singled out for this kind of behavior, when non-powered criminals have been pulling the same kind of shit for years? Why do those ordinary criminals do what they do?"

Moonstone only shrugged.

"It's for any number of reasons," the Beetle explained. "Some of them are just greedy and want an instant get-rich-quick payoff, others enjoy the notoriety, some of them don't want to pay taxes on the money they make, some of them do it to mess with society. Some criminals see their crime as a stepping stone, which explains why you have low-level crack dealers peddling their trash on the streets when they could make more money working part-time at McDonald's without being shot at or going to jail. They do it because they want to become big-time drug lords. If you want a supervillain example, think of the Green Goblin terrorizing people as a means of trying to make a name for himself to seize control of the New York criminal cartels."

As she listened to the Beetle, Moonstone recalled a book she had once read written by a longtime FBI profiler named John Douglas, who recounted how one criminal bookie who was smart enough to make legitimate money said that he did crime for the thrill. He said that the bookie told him that Douglas couldn't stop him from doing it-in the criminal's words, _'it's what we are'._

"Really, the only difference between supervillains and ordinary criminals is that the ordinary crooks don't have special technology or superpowers to give them an edge," the Beetle concluded. "I used my technology skills to make my armor and give myself powers. The suit, the helmet, everything."

"So you never tried starting your own business, or patenting your own inventions and technology, or even just getting a job with a group like Stark Enterprises or ClarkeTech?" Moonstone asked in surprise.

"People talk about that as if it's a guaranteed success," the Beetle scoffed. "Starting your own business is a crapshoot when 90% of them fail. And patenting your technology is no guarantee of success either, when assholes like Justin Hammer and Obadiah Stane will try and screw you out of your share of the royalties. That's what almost happened to the Shocker-Hammer would have ripped him off, and he wouldn't have gotten one red cent for all his hard work."

"So why not just get an engineering job?" Moonstone asked him.

"Because most of us hate those dull 9-5 jobs," the Beetle spat, his voice filling with venom. "You're stuck working for idiots who only got to where they did by sucking up to people who wouldn't even spit on them. You're at their beck and call whenever they want, they promote their fellow brownnosers over people with actual talent, they take all the credit for your hard work. And when times are tough, instead of cutting down on their first-class flights and expensive limousines, they fire the people whose work got them all that wealth in the first place. You _really _think most supervillains are willing to put up with that shit? That's the whole reason I became a criminal in the first place!"

Moonstone put her chin in her hand and leaned back in her chair as the Beetle finished ranting.

"How fascinating," she said, staring into the distance as she began thinking.

As he calmed down, the Beetle looked at Moonstone and was startled by the intensity of the expression on her face.

* * *

At first, Harry Osborn tried to ignore the insistent, repeated knocking. Unfortunately, the hammering continued, to the point where he finally couldn't take it anymore. Knowing full well who was disturbing him, he stomped over to the door and flung it open, sneering at the all-too-familiar presence of Mary Jane standing in the doorway.

"We need to talk, Harry," Mary Jane said firmly, holding out her hand as Harry tried to slam the door in her face. Despite shoving with all his might, Harry couldn't move the door, and ended up stumbling back in surprise as Mary Jane pushed her way in, shutting the door behind her. Staring at Mary Jane with contempt, Harry simply folded his arms and fell silent.

They stood in silence for several minutes, before Mary Jane finally spoke.

"Harry-" she began.

"What the hell do _you _want?" Harry demanded.

"You know exactly what I want," Mary Jane said calmly. "Liz is really worried about you. Why haven't you been answering her calls or e-mails?"

"That's none of your damn business," Harry shot back.

"Yes it is," Mary Jane replied unflappably. "Liz is my friend. She's _our _friend. And you're hurting her. What I want to know is why."

"Big talk, coming from you," Harry snapped. "You're the one always bitching to Liz. You're the one who nearly beat me up. And you're the one who always makes everything about you," he sneered. "You're just here because you feel guilty."

"You're actually right, you know that?" Mary Jane nodded. "I'm here because I've been treating Liz like crap too, and I'm trying to make it up to her. I never would have come if she hadn't come to me. She's done a lot for me, and I owe her. So what are _you _doing to try and make it up to her?"

Harry had no response to that.

"I…there's nothing I can do for her right now," he said, shame in his voice. "I need to…"

"Is this about your father?" Mary Jane asked. "And whatever it is you're trying to do to him?"

"You don't know what he's done," Harry. "You have no idea…"

"Actually, I do," Mary Jane replied gently. "I got a pretty good idea from all the times my dad used my mom as a punching bag, all the flings he had with women my age, the way he cancelled my tuition and left me several thousand dollars in debt, or the way he kicked us out of the house and forced us to move in with my aunt. I actually have a really good idea of what it's like," she said sadly.

Harry sighed sadly, before a scowl crossed his face.

"And what have you done to stick it to _your _old man?" he asked venomously. "Or do you just let him walk all over you?"

"I'm more worried about helping the people who really need it," Mary Jane replied. "Like my mom. And I haven't done what I could have for Liz, but I'm trying to make it up to her now."

"So you're just going to let him get away with it?" Harry asked incredulously. "After everything he did?"

"Look Harry, this isn't about me, it's about you," Mary Jane scowled, finally starting to lose patience. "Liz needs you, and she's more important than anything to do with your father right now."

"You don't realize how important this is," Harry shook his head. "Once I take care of it, then I can help Liz."

"Harry, _you _were the one who reminded me of just how bad I've been treating Liz," Mary Jane reminded him, sadness crossing her face. "You helped me realize just how selfish I'd been. Can't we help you?"

"No you can't," Harry sighed, frustration creeping into his voice. "No one can help me. I've got to do this myself."

"You know what?" Mary Jane finally snapped back. "Fine. If you're so obsessed with whatever your little crusade is-and I know you won't tell anyone, that's why I didn't ask-then you can do it yourself."

"Just remember, Harry-this anger may be a part of you, but if that's all you focus on and you let it consume you, you're going to suffer for it in the long run. I've been there, and in some ways I'm even still there. Just…please…don't forget about Liz, alright? Don't let your anger be the only thing that defines you."

"Mary Jane…" Harry began.

"I guess I can't convince you," Mary Jane sighed. "Just remember the one thing we have in common besides our fathers. We both have a friend with the patience of a saint and the compassion of an angel, who's cut us both a hell of a lot more slack than either one of us deserved. If you can't treat her better than you have, you don't deserve her."

Looking over her shoulder at Harry as she headed for the door, Mary Jane calmly closed it behind her, leaving Harry alone in the dark.

* * *

Mary Jane felt more than a little low as she walked home, unsure of whether she'd been able to connect with Harry at all. She just wasn't sure what else she could do to help Liz or bring Harry around, and couldn't help but feel as if she'd failed.

_A fat lot of good my powers have been able to do, _she thought glumly, before a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, pretty lady," she heard a familiar voice greet her from further up the street. Looking up in surprise, Mary Jane saw Ben Reilly greet her with a smile.

"You seem pretty down," Ben said as he came over to greet her. "Anything I can do to help?"

"I doubt it," Mary Jane sighed."Not unless you know how to get bickering couples back together."

"I want to be Dr. Reilly, not Dr. Phil," Ben replied half-humorously, which brought a smile to Mary Jane's face. "I can probably offer an ear, though," he said more gently. "Want to get something at the Coffee Bean? I'm buying."

After they had gotten some coffee and Mary Jane had told Ben about what was going on, he only shook his head.

"You don't know the whole story, MJ," Ben said when she'd finally finished. "You said he's planning something to do with his father?"

"Yeah," Mary Jane replied. "He disappears for days at a time, he's always meeting with these strange men, and-"

"Is it anything that could be illegal?" Ben asked, slight alarm in his voice.

"I don't know," Mary Jane shrugged. "He says that it isn't, but I really don't know."

"You know, this is just a thought…" Ben began.

"What?" Mary Jane asked.

"His dad's that Norman Osborn character, right?" Ben asked. "The chemical tycoon?"

"Yeah," Mary Jane nodded. "He's even richer than my dad."

"See, that's something I don't understand," Ben rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Why would a guy with enough money to send his kid to Yale or Harvard instead send him to a public university like Empire State?"

"My dad's just too cheap to send me anywhere like that," Mary Jane muttered. "But you're right-it _is _curious, now that I think about it."

"Maybe not so much, if you think about how badly Harry's dad treats him," Ben realized. "You said Harry says Norman's called him a disgrace to the Osborn name, or something like that?"

Mary Jane nodded.

"Then you can't blame the guy for being pissed off," Ben pointed out. "It doesn't excuse the way he treats Liz, but I can't blame him for trying to get out from under his old man's thumb."

"Under his thumb?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I think that might be what's actually going on here," Ben said. "Harry might just be so wrapped up in trying to become his own man that he can't really focus on anything else. And whatever he's doing might not even be all that bad-I can't imagine he's happy about being dependent on a guy like Norman Osborn."

"…I never thought of it that way," Mary Jane finally said, after reflecting for several minutes.

"I could be wrong," Ben answered, "but I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case." Checking his watch, he threw some money down on the table and stood up. "I'm up to my eyeballs in homework tonight, and I should really get started. Nice talking to you!"

"You too, thanks!" Mary Jane called back to Ben, before she returned to reflecting on what he'd just said.

She was still angry with Harry for how he'd been treating Liz, but even so she found herself sympathizing with him a lot more.

(_**Next Issue:**_ When Spring Break rolls around, Mary Jane uses the time to get caught up on many of the issues going on in her life, including the auditions for the play and her ongoing money problems. She receives a surprise when Ben Reilly asks her to be his date at a special charity dinner and dance. Mary Jane accepts the offer, but finds that she can't celebrate long when Jack O' Lantern invites himself to the party, intending to hold all the partygoers for ransom and make off with the charity contributions! Can Spider-Woman hope to rescue his hostages and capture the crazed villain? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #17: Party Crashers!)_


	19. Party Crashers

"Terminated?" Phillip Watson snapped into the telephone as he sat in his office, his face turning as red as his hair. "What do you mean, terminated? I'm the one that put you in touch with Senator Finster, I'm the one that got you the contract in Baghdad, and I'm the one that-"

"_Times change, Phillip_," Simon Utrecht replied calmly. _"I just feel that my needs can be better served by another agent. Recent…controversies have forced me to reevaluate my options," _he said evasively. _"That's why I've decided to seek the services of another agent." _

The reply was pure bullshit, and they both knew it.

"Don't tell me you're buying what those fucking muties were saying!" Phillip thundered, his knuckles white as he tightened his grasp on the telephone. "They just picked me as an easy target! Lies, that's all they were!"

_"Just keep telling yourself that, Phillip," _Utrecht said unflappably. _"You ought to know that, sometimes, it pays to keep a low profile. And now, unless you're prepared to continue wasting my time, I have work to do," _he finished, before hanging up the phone and leaving Phillip to stew in his own rage.

Simon Utrecht was the fifth client to break away from Phillip in the last month, ever since the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants had exposed his dealings with the Friends of Humanity to the world when they had taken his sister, niece and ex-wife prisoner. Whatever biases they may have held against mutants, many people were wise enough to keep such thoughts to themselves, and didn't care to be associated with prominent anti-mutant activists.

The fact that Phillip had refused to talk to the press or make any kind of statement at all after the Brotherhood had made their demands public couldn't have helped, either.

Opening his desk drawer and taking out a bottle of whiskey, Phillip took a long, hard pull on the flask, savoring both the kick of the alcohol and the wonderful tingling sensation it made as it passed down his throat. He took another drink as he looked over his accounts, and was filled with such a sudden rage that he had to take a third swig to keep his mood from deteriorating any further.

It was too bad his ex-wife Maddie wasn't around.

He really needed to hit something.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #17

"PARTY CRASHERS"

* * *

Mary Jane Watson lay back on the couch at her apartment and groaned as she looked through the results of her midterm exams. First had been her Biology exam-she had been lucky to get a C-minus on that one. Then there was her English exam, on which she got a D-average. Her other subjects weren't much better-hell, she'd been lucky to even get the B on her Drama project.

She yawned wearily, worn out from checking up on her mother's bank accounts, putting in as many hours as she could at the coffee shop, her crimefighting as Spider-Woman, memorizing her lines for _A Streetcar Named Desire, _and trying to keep up with her studies. Unfortunately, she hadn't been getting much sleep lately, and it was starting to catch up to her. On the other hand, now that Spring Break had begun, hopefully she would be able to get caught up on everything…

Checking her watch, she was astonished to find that it was almost 4:40 PM…and she was supposed to meet Randy at 4:20 for the final casting call of _A Streetcar Named Desire. _Despite the three weeks since their first audition, the director Mr. Llewellyn hadn't yet made his decision on who would be cast, being too occupied with overseeing the repairs to the Aristophanes Playhouse, which had been damaged by the supervillain riots and which had just finished this week. Now, with his schedule clear, Mr. Llewellyn was ready to announce his cast…

…and Mary Jane realized he wouldn't be impressed at all if she arrived late, as she already knew she would.

* * *

Mary Jane burst into the theater as Mr. Llewellyn and the other actors stood onstage, before freezing in embarrassment as they all looked at her in surprise. Mr. Llewellyn merely stared at her in annoyance, tapping his foot impatiently.

"As I was saying," he resumed crossly, as a flustered Mary Jane came up onstage, "I profoundly regret the repeated delays in staging my play. Along with the demand for my previous masterpiece being far higher than I anticipated, I have had the distinct displeasure of needing to repair and renovate the Aristophanes Playhouse after the…'unpleasantness' with the supervillains some weeks past," he said euphemistically. "Fortunately, I have the pleasure of being able to announce that production is now ready to begin, and I have found a suitable cast…_despite_ the unprofessional conduct of some of my potential aspiring actors," he finished, scowling at Mary Jane as his eyes narrowed.

All she could do was look down, shamefaced. Web-swinging to the Students' Union Building as Spider-Woman, Mary Jane realized that Randy had already gone on his own to the theater, and so she had followed him as fast as she could, despite the fact that she was almost half an hour late for the casting call, which clearly wouldn't endear her to her fellow cast members or her director.

"I have prepared several copies of the script for my actors to study," Mr. Llewellyn began, as he began distributing them to several people in the group. "The cast list is on the front page. If you have been chosen, you have proven your thespian worth, and I look forward to working with you. If you have not, then I will thank you to leave the Playhouse and not return until such time as you have developed whatever talents you believe you possess."

Several people in the group muttered to themselves, scowling at Llewellyn as he passed them by without handing out a script. It was all Mary Jane could do to avoid following suit, being more than a little annoyed with the director's arrogant tone. Much to her surprise, however, she found that she'd been cast after all, and brightened as she looked at the cast list.

Then she found she was cast in the rather minor role of the Strange Woman.

Frowning, she looked up in surprise at Randy, who was all smiles as he realized he had gotten the lead male role of Stanley Kowalski. Mary Jane came over to him and gave him a congratulatory hug.

"Great job," she smiled at him. "I knew you could do it!"

"So, are you going to be my lovely wife?" Randy grinned, as Mary Jane blushed in embarrassment.

"Er…uh…" she stumbled.

"You didn't make it?" Randy said sympathetically. "Tough break."

"No, I actually got cast…" Mary Jane said in some confusion, looking at the script again, "but as the Strange Woman."

"Wonder why he went for that," Randy answered, scratching his head. "But hey, at least you got in!"

"Yeah, that's great," Mary Jane made herself smile. "Look, I've got to get ready for work tonight, but I have tomorrow night off. You want to get some dinner or something like that tomorrow?"

"Now _you're _asking _me _out?" Randy grinned. "I must have built up some real good karma lately."

As Randy walked over to introduce himself to some of their castmates, Mary Jane headed for the door, looking through her purse for her bus pass. She only briefly looked up to say good-bye to Mr. Llewellyn as she walked past him, although he merely grunted something in reply.

It was only after she had gotten on the bus that she realized the deep scowl she'd seen on the director's face as she was leaving the theater.

For some reason, it made Mary Jane distinctly uncomfortable.

* * *

The last person Liz Allan expected to see at her door was Harry Osborn, particularly a Harry who looked as somber and downcast as this one did.

"Harry?" she said in surprise as she opened the door. "It's so good to see you! Here, come in, come in!" she said brightly, pulling him into the room and shutting the door behind her. "How have you been?"

"I've been alright," Harry said, glancing from side to side as he rubbed his hands. "How about you?"

"I'm a lot better now," Liz smiled. "You don't know how much I was worried about you…"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Harry murmured. "How'd midterms go for you?"

"Well, I didn't completely lose my mind," Liz grinned. "Actually, I did pretty well. How about you?"

"Yeah…I…" Harry said in a low tone, looking ill at ease. "I don't really know how I would have done, what with everything going on."

Liz paused in surprise, the smile vanishing from her face.

"…._Would _have done?" she asked in confusion. "Harry, what do you-"

Harry sighed, before passing his hand over his face.

"I dropped out for the semester," Harry said, a painful grimace on his face.

"_Dropped out?_" Liz asked, completely flabbergasted by Harry's words. "Harry, why would you-"

"It's just something I needed to do," Harry replied flatly. "Otherwise, I...can't…I mean…"

"Why would you need to do something like this?" Liz asked urgently. "I mean, what could be so important as to-"

"I've got some serious problems," Harry shook his head, "and I have to deal with them. Now. Otherwise, my life will be ruined."

"Ruined?" Liz repeated, shock turning to concern. "What could ruin your life?"

"I have to be my own man, Liz," Harry replied, more firmly this time. "And until I am, there's no reason you should have to put up with my bullshit."

"W…what?" Liz asked in surprise.

"Mary Jane was right when she pointed out that we've both treated you worse than you'd ever deserve," Harry said. "And she was right when she said that if I can't treat you better than I have, I don't deserve you."

Liz's blood ran cold.

"Harry, what-"

"You deserve better than me, Liz," Harry spat, his face downcast. "If I was more of a man, maybe I'd deserve you, but I don't."

"You're…breaking up with me?" Liz asked in astonishment. "Harry, whatever your problems are-"

"-they're too big for me to treat you the way you deserve," Harry said sadly. "It's not you, Liz-until I work this out, I can't do a damn thing for anyone."

With those words, he rose to leave.

"Harry, wait!" Liz pleaded, grabbing his arm. "What are you trying to deal with, anyway? Can't I help you?"

Harry paused, before he grasped Liz's hand with his own.

"That's what's going to make you such a fantastic nurse," he smiled gently at her. "That kindness and compassion will take you a long way. But with everything I have to deal with, especially my father, it's something no one else can help me with. I appreciate it, I really do…but this is the way it's got to be."

"If you really want to help me, then just keep being the person you are. You've made so many people happy in so many ways you'd never realize. All you need to do is just keep doing that."

"Just keep being Liz Allan. If you do, you'll have done more for me than you ever know," he smiled sadly, hugging her one last time before he left the room.

Liz didn't even bother trying to hold back the tears as she slumped down on her bed.

* * *

"So that's where most of it is going to go?" Mary Jane asked her Aunt Anna sadly the next afternoon, as Anna nodded ruefully.

"It won't be as bad if I can get my own insurance to cover some of it," Anna replied, "but if it won't, then I'll chip in for the rest myself…"

Mary Jane frowned as she looked over the application forms, trying to make at least some sense of it. She and Anna were trying to get Mary Jane's mother Maddie the counseling they felt she needed. Unfortunately, coming up with the money necessary to pay for it had proven to be even more difficult than they had anticipated.

Rubbing at her temples, Mary Jane realized that, even with the alimony Phillip was paying Maddie, it wasn't likely to be enough to pay the full costs of decent therapy. And if Anna's insurance wouldn't cover Maddie as a dependent, it was going to cost Anna a small fortune to make up the rest of Maddie's care.

"Aunt Anna…I…" Mary Jane began.

"Mary Jane?" Anna asked in surprise.

"I just wish there was more I could do to help," Mary Jane said miserably. "I mean, you shouldn't have to pay for this by yourself…"

"It's alright, Mary Jane," Anna replied firmly. "I don't mind, really. Besides, why don't you stay with us too?"

"And make the place even more crowded?" Mary Jane smiled half-humorously. "No, I'd just be in the way. Besides, it's too far to school from here. I appreciate it, really, but this is something I've got to do myself," she shook her head.

"If you insist," Anna sighed. "Just remember, though…if you ever change your mind, the door's always open. You going to stay for dinner?"

"I already promised some friends I'd go out with them," Mary Jane shook her head again. "Maybe sometime later this week?"

"Sounds good," Anna grinned, as she hugged her niece. "Take care until then, okay?"

Mary Jane's mood was a little better as she made her way to the bus stop, until she was startled by her cell phone ringing. Opening it up in surprise, she wasn't sure whether to smile or groan when she saw the number.

_"I know it's your day off, Mary Jane," _her boss Mr. Spencer was saying on the other line, _"but I need you down here as soon as I can. Jessica broke her arm at home and she won't be able to come in today." _

"Well, I…" Mary Jane trailed off.

_"Look, Mary Jane, if there was any other way around it, I wouldn't bother you," _Mr. Spencer replied, _"but you've got to come in. If you need to go home and get changed, fine, but otherwise get down here as soon as you can!" _he finished, before hanging up.

Scowling angrily, Mary Jane shut her phone, forcing herself to remember that she had been hoping for additional hours anyway. Heading for home to get her uniform, she began thinking about how she would break the news to Randy, knowing full well how disappointed he'd be.

She was almost to the bus stop when she heard the crash and gunshots, and the burglar alarm blaring.

It was all she could do to keep from screaming out loud in frustration, as she frantically searched for a place to change.

* * *

"This coffee is too hot!"

"They mixed my latte wrong!"

"I changed my mind-can you bring it back in a different size?"

Running around back and forth at work during the dinner rush wasn't Mary Jane's idea of a fun evening, particularly when just about every customer she served somehow managed to come up with a different complaint or quirk in their orders. First, Mr. Spencer had read her the riot act for taking so long to arrive. As much as she would have liked, Mary Jane couldn't explain to him that mind that she had been forced to stop a bank robbery as Spider-Woman, before swinging back to her apartment and frantically trying to clean herself up from the robbery fight before changing into her uniform and making her way back to work.

Then another one of the waitresses had gotten sick and had to leave, forcing Mary Jane to help cover _her _customers too. Every time she tried to sit down and take a break, she was called over by yet another nitpicking customer, who proceeded to ream her out because she had apparently gotten their order wrong, or they wanted more cream, or anything else.

Her feet aching abominably from running around for more than six hours, Mary Jane tried to keep her mind focused as she continued serving the customers. In spite of herself, her mind kept wandering, drained and weary from a lack of sleep. It was all she could do to concentrate on the latest order she was taking, from a large middle-aged woman who seemed to have a permanent scowl stamped on her face.

"What do you mean, you're out of Blue Hawaiian?" the woman shouted at Mary Jane, slamming her fist down on her table in anger. "I always have Blue Hawaiian when I come here! Go check again!"

"Ma'am, six other people have asked for Blue Hawaiian," Mary Jane replied testily. "None of them were able to get it. We don't have any more."

"Bullshit!" the woman shouted. "If you did your job properly, you'd do what I say! Now get me my Blue Hawaiian!"

Finally, the dam burst.

"Maybe if you were smart enough to come earlier, we wouldn't be out of it!" Mary Jane shouted, finally losing her temper. "We're all out of Blue Hawaiian! Are you deaf, or just stupid?!?"

The woman stared at Mary Jane in astonishment, her mouth hanging open, before she began yelling for the manager.

* * *

"You ought to know better than that, Mary Jane," Mr. Spencer lectured Mary Jane as she sat in the break room after they closed for the night. "Since when does being rude to the customers get us anywhere?"

"But, she-" Mary Jane protested.

"No buts!" Mr. Spencer snapped at her. "Now, I had to give Mrs. Jannetty a $200 gift certificate in apology for your yelling at her. That's coming out of your salary, you understand."

Mary Jane opened her mouth to try and protest again, but her head was already throbbing.

She just didn't have anything left.

Wearily, her shoulders slumped in exhaustion, Mary Jane staggered to her feet and headed for the door, tears of frustration in her eyes.

A perfect ending to a perfect day.

* * *

Mary Jane maintained the same stoic composure all the way home, even managing to hold back her tears as she walked into her apartment building. She was hardly aware of where she was going, guided solely by instinct as he made her way up the stairs, and it was only through luck that she managed to react and avoid hitting the young man coming down the hallway in the opposite direction.

It took Mary Jane a moment to recognize Ben Reilly, Kitty's cousin, who began to smile in recognition before shifting to worried concern as he saw the expression on her face.

"…Are you alright?" he asked, slightly alarmed. "What happened to you?"

She opened her mouth to reply, ready to vent her frustrations, before she fell silent.

"It's…nothing," she mumbled, trying to push past him, but Ben grabbed her arm and held it in a surprisingly firm grip.

"No, it's not," he pointed out. "Now, what's wrong? Come on, you can tell me," he said, more gently this time.

She really didn't want to dump on Ben the way she had done on her other friends, but he refused to let her go.

"…It's just one of those days where absolutely nothing's going right," she sighed. She tried to push past him again, but Ben continued to maintain his grip.

"Well then, you could obviously use a break," Ben smiled. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"I barely even know what I'm doing tonight," Mary Jane muttered, making a weak attempt at a smile.

"Well then, why don't you come with me to this special charity dinner and dance at the Plaza Hotel? A friend of my dad's gave me his tickets after he decided not to go."

Mary Jane blinked at him in surprise.

"What's the dinner for?"

"We're doing some fundraising for the families of the people who were killed in the supervillain riots in New York a couple of weeks ago," Ben replied, a frown crossing his face. "Some of those families lost their main providers, and a lot of people were widowed or orphaned," he said sadly, as Mary Jane frowned in sympathy.

"It sounds like pretty high society," Mary Jane said in surprise. "How did your father's friend get tickets?"

"He's made a lot of money off his investments, made even more friends," Ben explained, "and my dad used to work for him. He was invited by some bigwig at Stark Enterprises, but ever since his wife got bronchitis he doesn't like to leave her alone at home anymore. So, what do you say?"

Despite her fatigue, Mary Jane couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks a lot, Ben," she smiled, before giving him a hug. "I appreciate it, I really do."

Ben only smiled back as he returned the hug.

* * *

"Have I told you how jealous I am?" Kitty Pryde asked Mary Jane as she finished applying her makeup. Clad in a scarlet dress that emphasized her curvaceous figure, along with dark stockings and red high heels that drew attention to her shapely legs, Mary Jane was perfectly clad and coiffed, her long red hair flowing behind her as she admired herself in the mirror.

"This is what, the fifth time?" Mary Jane replied with a smile.

"And you've even got the Manolos," Kitty sighed, admiring Mary Jane's shoes. "Where did you get them?"

"They were a birthday present from Grandpa Lieber," Mary Jane replied. "But what I don't get is why you didn't want to go, instead of Ben and I?"

"And get stuck with a bunch of high society snobs?" Kitty rolled her eyes. "No thanks. You do the whole socialite thing a lot better than I ever will."

Mary Jane was about to reply when they heard the knock at the door. As she opened it, Mary Jane was momentarily stunned by how good Ben looked. Just the right amount of cologne, a sharp-looking tuxedo, and the fact that he filled it out very nicely all made Mary Jane blink in pleasant surprise.

"Face it, Tigress…" he quipped, amused at her reaction, "…you just hit the jackpot!"

It was then that he realized just who he was looking at, and what she was wearing.

"…And by the looks of it, so did I," he grinned. "You look fantastic."

Mary Jane couldn't help but smile.

* * *

The scene at the Plaza Hotel was just what Mary Jane had expected, with many of the pillars of New York high society present for the occasion. Looking through the crowd, she recognized the Mayor of New York, communications mogul John Jameson, mutant pop star Allison "the Dazzler" Blaire, and several others. She had heard rumors that the Fantastic Four and Captain America would have attended, except that the Four had been called away to deal with some scheme hatched by the Leader in California, while Captain America had rejoined the Avengers to deal with some sort of Secret Empire problem going on in Washington State.

As Mary Jane made her way through the room on Ben's arm, she felt a keen sense of pride as she registered the approving stares from many of the other men in the room, and a certain impish pleasure as she felt the jealousy coming from some of the other women.

Mary Jane would never have admitted it, but she loved these types of high-society social functions. She'd gone to a few of them when she was younger, and she'd always fit right in. So it was as she fell into chatting with a number of the other guests, fitting in just as easily as if she was born to the role. Despite the prestige of most of the prominent actors, politicians, business figures and socialites that filled the room around her, Mary Jane was not intimidated in the least.

Perhaps the sole exception was when Mary Jane had the distinct displeasure of running into another young woman about her age, with silvery platinum-blonde hair and a golden dress that clashed with Mary Jane's own. Mary Jane should have realized that Felicia Hardy would be at some kind of function like this.

"I thought this party was strictly A-list," Felicia scowled in a catty voice. "Mind telling me how _you _got here, Watson?"

"I was invited," Mary Jane said serenely. "And if it's A-list, how did _you _get here? Oh…wait…" she continued, as she gave a mock gesture of realization. "Getting spanked by rich old men for favors _is _pretty lucrative, isn't it? Then again, with hips like yours, I suppose you'd _want _to lay off the chocolates most girls get from their sugar daddies, right?"

Felicia turned red with anger, clearly resisting a desire to begin strangling Mary Jane on the spot. Fortunately, the tension was broken as their dates came back with punch. Both men recognized the danger, Ben hastily grabbing Mary Jane and pulling her away as Felicia's date did the same to her.

"That was that Felicia Hardy lady, right?" Ben asked Mary Jane.

"Yes…if you use the term 'lady' in the _strictest _sense possible," Mary Jane replied acidly. "There are a number of other terms I'd use to describe her, none of which can be said aloud in polite society."

"Look, the last thing you need tonight is to get into a catfight," Ben reminded her pointedly. "Just relax and have a good time tonight, alright? We're supposed to be having fun, and you're supposed to be relaxing."

"She just gets under my skin," Mary Jane sighed. "But you're right-there's no need to be picking fights with her."

"Well, it's not all bad," Ben joked. "You ever realized how pretty you get when you're angry?"

Mary Jane turned back on him with a raised eyebrow and a half-smile.

"And I'm _not _pretty when I'm calm?" she asked mischievously.

"What? Of course you are," Ben shot back, not missing a beat. "It's just that you get that perfect flush to your cheeks that accents your eyes."

"…And with that you're back on my good side," Mary Jane smiled at him teasingly. "Care to dance?" she asked him, as the music started up with one of her favorite songs.

Ben only grinned back at her as she followed him onto the dance floor.

* * *

Roderick Kingsley was thoroughly bored by the party, not being inclined to do much else besides sit at his table nursing the one glass of champagne he'd bought at the start of the evening. His wife had insisted that he and Daniel attend the party, knowing the good PR that Kingsley Cosmetics would get from its contributions. That was the only reason Kingsley had-grudgingly-agreed to attend, as he really couldn't have given a damn about any of the people the charity funds were going to.

It wouldn't have surprised him if most of the other guests felt that way too. That was why there were photographers and other media-types here, after all-so the guests could show the public what good citizens they were, and how they were helping those less fortunate.

And so Kingsley had simply sat at his table drinking that one glass of champagne, while his wife chatted it up with her girlfriends. Daniel sat there with him impassively, ignoring the women who tried to flirt with him. A couple of aspiring socialites had tried to get him to sign them to his agency, but the experienced Kingsley could tell right away that none of them had anything resembling talent, and wouldn't have impressed him even if they weren't already so drunk they smelled like a brewery.

One bright spot was when he noticed the gorgeous Mary Jane Watson passing through the crowd-and didn't she look sexy in that dress! Unfortunately, Kingsley had to remind himself that he was with his wife, and she had already given him hell on multiple occasions for ogling the talent while she was around.

Finally, Kingsley decided that enough was enough. With a gesture to Daniel, Roderick led his brother over to his wife, who was going back to the bar, and grabbed her before dragging her towards the elevator.

She was already drunk off her ass, of course. With a disgusted sigh, Kingsley merely hit the elevator button as Daniel followed behind him, now practically carrying Roderick's wife.

* * *

Ronald Hilliard sat alone at his table, sulking while his cousins tore up the dance floor with their dates. He _hated _these types of social functions, being forced to go along with his cousins just to keep up appearances. His parents had insisted he accompany his older cousins, probably just to get him out of their hair for the evening. Tall and lanky, with a decidedly homely face, the teenaged Ronald was hardly what one would call a prize catch, even if his face wasn't pockmarked with zits and his greasy hair looked as if he'd just been electrocuted.

Sighing in annoyance, he simply went back to breaking open the fortune cookies he'd stolen from some of the nearby tables, snacking on them with little regard for the crumbs that were falling all over his lap.

* * *

Mary Jane was having a wonderful time, as the party kicked into high gear. She reveled in the simple joy of the music, the food, and the dancing, at being able to leave her problems behind for one night.

Like all the other partygoers, she was stunned by the massive explosion that rocked the wall of hotel behind where the band was playing, leaving a jagged, gaping hole. Getting to her feet, Mary Jane's heart sank as she saw just about the absolute last person she had wanted to ever run into again.

Everything about him was the same, from the gloves and boots that resembled skeletal limbs to the chainmail of tiny skulls that covered his chest to the hover disc ringed with larger skulls, to the flaming, leering pumpkin head that topped the whole ensemble off. Worst of all was that same haunting, maniacal laughter, that sent chills down Mary Jane's spin even as it drew out all the old frustrations and anger.

_"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?" _Jack O'Lantern rasped as he flew into the room and hovered above the crowd, who murmured in astonished confusion. _"I suppose I should commend you for your charitable impulses…but then again I was never inclined to condone hypocrisy." _

Although his expression never changed, Jack O' Lantern seemed to notice the security guard drawing his gun, out of the corner of his eye. With lightning reflexes, the pumpkin-headed freak whirled and fired a deadly laser blast at the guard, who screamed in agony as the blast tore into him, before collapsing, unconscious.

_"Never interrupt a villain's monologue!" _Jack O' Lantern screamed in a frenzy, before regaining his composure.

_"As I was saying," _Jack O' Lantern said serenely, _"I find your hypocrisy both alternately amusing and repulsive. How many of you, in all truth, care about the enfeebled victims of crime? I see more reporters here than social workers, after all…is the money you are raising tonight truly meant to assist those in need, or is it more to bolster your own images and assuage your own guilt?" _

"What the hell do you want?" one man demanded, finally getting his nerve.

_"Shouldn't it be obvious?" _Jack O' Lantern seemed to roll his eyes, as he casually tossed a pumpkin grenade into a group of partygoers, who all screamed and stepped over each other to get out of its way as it exploded when it hit the floor. _"What I want is all the money from your little charity gathering. Your own wallets and jewelry would also be appreciated…" _

It was only through finely honed reflexes that Jack O' Lantern managed to dodge the electrical sting blast. Whirling around in surprise, he recognized the red-and-gold clad form of the spectacular Spider-Woman emerging from the crowd, springing into the air as she spun a webline to reach the ceiling.

_"Spider-Woman?!?" _Jack O' Lantern shrieked, as he fired his wrist lasers at her. _"You dare to interfere in my fun?" _

"Fun?" Spider-Woman shouted in disgust. "You call robbing innocent people _fun?" _she countered, as she deflected the blasts with her own stings before coming at Jack O' Lantern with a swing kick.

_"Robbing them?!?" _Jack O' Lantern came back in a rage, cutting through Spider-Woman's webline with a razor-edged crescent moon that came back to his hand like a boomerang. _"You honestly think that's all I intend to do to these people? I'm going to terrorize them, torture them, make them scream!" _

As she used her wall-crawling abilities to land on the side of one of the pillars in the room, Spider-Woman wasn't sure what horrified her more, Jack O' Lantern's words or the increasingly frenzied tone in which he was speaking.

"Why?" she shouted in anger, springing into the air as Jack O' Lantern came towards her and catching him right in his pumpkin face with a vicious uppercut, before spinning another webline and swinging away, as the partygoers down below broke free of their fear and began to scream.

_"Because I know I'm not supposed to," _Jack O' Lantern seemed to grin despite the blow. _"Because I'm the bad guy. Because I'm evil!" _To emphasize the point, he reached into his belt and tossed almost a dozen boomerang bats at Spider-Woman, who tried to dodge frantically. They seemed to home in on her, despite her best efforts to avoid them. She destroyed several with her sting blasts, and smashed a few more, but the rest tore her across her body. Several sliced her limbs and torso, even as one stung her painfully in the back.

As Spider-Woman reeled in pain, Jack O' Lantern pulled several pumpkin grenades from his belt and flew around almost at random, tossing them into the crowd. The partygoers began panicking as they scrambled to avoid the bombs, trampling each other as they ran for the elevators. Screams of pain erupted as a number of people were caught in explosions, others began gasping and coughing as they gagged on the toxic gas clouds that emanated from the shattered pumpkins.

_"Hence the irony of my wearing a mask," _Jack O' Lantern seemed to smirk as Spider-Woman came at him again. Bursting into that same chilling laughter, Jack O' Lantern came down to floor level, jumping off his hover disc and shrinking it so it fit onto his belt. He began firing random laser blasts into the crowd, hitting the panicking partygoers as Spider-Woman finally caught up to him. Brandishing his fingers, which extended into long, sharp claws, Jack O' Lantern began fighting Spider-Woman in hand-to-hand combat as she lunged at him.

_"I indulge my dark side," _Jack O' Lantern laughed as they fought, _"and in this costume I am my true self. You see what I am, right?" _

Spider-Woman only grunted and tried to defend herself. Despite being a third-degree blackbelt, Jack O' Lantern seemed to be her equal and more, kicking her hard in the stomach and slashing her across the back when she doubled over.

_"And yet, all these mindless sheep muddle through their lives while attempting to maintain a façade of respectability, hypocritically denying their own natures," _Jack O' Lantern laughed, as he blasted Spider-Woman and knocked her to the ground.

Jack reached for a pumpkin grenade on his belt, but stopped as he heard the footsteps behind him. Whirling around, he grabbed the muscular young man who had tried to attack him from behind. Holding him in a death grip, Jack O' Lantern turned back to face Spider-Woman.

_"Take this hormone-addled lout, for instance," _Jack O' Lantern began. _"Would he have really tried to help you if you weren't as attractive as you are?" _he seemed to smirk, before extending his talons and plunging them deep into the young man's throat.

As Spider-Woman struggled to her feet, she was horrified to see the man's lifeblood pouring from the gashes in his throat as he fell dead on the floor.

_"Hormones, my dear, given the more palatable description of courage. But I know what it really was," _Jack O' Lantern finished, seeming to give a satisfied smirk.

Spider-Woman came at him in a rage, blasting Jack O' Lantern at point blank rage with her sting blasts before lashing out at him in a frenzy of punches and kicks. Caught off guard, Jack O' Lantern was pummeled repeatedly before he managed to get his bearings. He blasted Spider-Woman with a double blast from his wrist lasers, but she simply shrugged it off, blasting him right back before catching him with a webline. Leaping into the air and spinning around, she let Jack O' Lantern fly with pinpoint accuracy to send him crashing heavily into one of the pillars, before he slumped down on the ground.

Spider-Woman leapt over the scattered partygoers, some of whom had begun cheering her on, and came down in front of Jack O' Lantern, who now struggled to his feet. Activating his hover glider with one hand and dropping a pumpkin-shaped smoke grenade that sent everyone around him staggering back as they choked on the tear gas that was released, Jack O' Lantern quickly took to the air. Above the coughing, however, the partygoers heard the marching of the police officers who finally came into the room, their weapons drawn.

Flying above the crowd on his disc, Jack O' Lantern flew for the open hole he had torn in the wall, shooting random laser blasts into the crowd to distract them…and cause a little more pain, while he was at it.

_"This isn't over, Spider-Woman!" _he screamed in that same frenzied rage. _"It's just beginning! And before it's over, you'll wish I'd killed you here tonight!" _

His psychotic laughter continued to echo through the room as he flew through the hole and into the night. Some of the police officers followed to the hole and tried to shoot him down, but by the time they got there he was already lost on the wind.

* * *

"Oh my God," Ben gasped as Mary Jane staggered towards him, her dress tattered and her body torn, scratched and bruised. "Are you alright?"

Mary Jane couldn't reply for a moment, still breathing heavily from her exertions. She had been very lucky to find a bathroom where she could change into and out of her costume, keeping the door webbed shut as she did the job. Fortunately, with all the panicking and injured people around, none of them were inclined to notice one more person being seriously hurt, or running to or from a hiding place.

"I made the mistake of getting too close to one of those grenade explosions," Mary Jane muttered, as she leaned on Ben's shoulders for support. "Some of the shrapnel got me."

"Let's have a look, then," Ben said, as he sat her down gently on a bench against the wall and began looking at her injuries. Mary Jane offered no resistance, remembering Ben's pre-med training.

Besides, his presence was comforting.

"…You need to have the paramedics look at you," he said firmly, before standing her up and leading her over to the emergency technicians. "You'll need some bandages and ointment for those burns, but you should be okay in a couple of days," he said in some relief.

Mary Jane leaned on him gratefully, looking around sadly at the carnage she saw. As she would later learn, five people were dead and almost twenty wounded due to Jack O' Lantern's insanity.

"All this for a robbery?" she asked, still somewhat incredulous as she sat down to be treated by one of the paramedics.

"And who knows what else," the paramedic shook his head in disgust. "Cop says few other people said this lunatic wanted to torture them, whatever the hell that means," he muttered, gesturing over to the police officers taking statements from some other victims.

"What I don't get is why these costumed nuts insist on fighting when there's so many people around," the paramedic said in disgust. "I mean, why'd that spider-lady have to go and provoke that pumpkin-headed maniac? All she did was make things worse!"

Mary Jane simply stared down at the floor.

"Hey, come on!" Ben interrupted with a scowl. "You said it yourself-that Jack guy wanted to torture us. If anything, Spider-Woman probably stopped it from getting even worse than it did!"

Mary Jane looked back up at Ben with a feeling of sincere gratitude, but on one level she wondered if the paramedic was right.

She might have stopped Jack O' Lantern, but it didn't seem like a victory.

* * *

Ronnie Hilliard had a faraway look in his eyes that night, saying nothing and staring intently out the car window as his older cousin drove the rest of the Hilliard men and their dates home after the party.

His cousins had been curious as to the look on his face, but eventually they just put it down to his being terrified by Jack O' Lantern's attack. Ronnie had always been something of a weirdo anyway, with that strange look in his eyes and his tendency to just sit and stare intently at people. He was often alone most of the time anyway, what with the way people tended to be unnerved in his presence.

This time, Ronnie was thinking about the beautiful dark angel who had risked her all to protect him that night, the heaven sent Spider-Woman.

Despite the evil supervillain threatening to kill Ronnie, he had been saved when Spider-Woman had come to his defense.

Everything she'd done that night, had been all for him.

Just for him.

The image of his gorgeous protector stayed with him for several days after that.

* * *

**Entry #4: **

**How dare she? **

**How dare she??**

**How dare she???**

**HOW DARE SHE????**

**Again, Spider-Woman ruins my fun! Again, she protects those sniveling, mindless, stunted, whining troglodytes! She dares to interfere in the affairs of a person of talent and vision, wasting her own abilities in the defence of people who hold back their true natures, who hide behind their own self-righteous masks! **

**What is she hiding? **

**That is the question I must ponder as I reflect upon our battles. It is, perhaps, the irony of being the villain, revealing my own inner darkness, that I arouse the wrath of the most pretentious and hypocritical people of all, the heroes. Even as I realize what I am, those who most attempt to deny their baser natures will oppose me. **

**Perhaps I'm being too angry. After all, even if I didn't get the money-which in some respects is immaterial anyway-I had a lot of fun. I killed a few people, maimed many more, and sent the rest running like frightened cattle. **

**I've never felt so alive!**

**Best of all, everything is in place as of tonight. Now I can begin to make Spider-Woman suffer in ways she could never have imagined. **

**And it will be **_**glorious.**_

_With a satisfied smile, I close the file and turn back to the book I'm reading. I've always been a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe. The man was one of the true literary geniuses of his time, particularly as expressed in _The Black Cat. _I particularly favor one particular quote: _

"I am not more sure that my soul lives, than I am that perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart…Who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or silly action for no better reason than because he knows he should not?"

_Truer words were never spoken. _

(_**Next Issue:**_ As Mary Jane tries to get her personal life under control, she faces new personal difficulties trying to balance her relationships with Ben Reilly and Randy Robertson. To make matters worse, the terrifying pyromaniac known as Firebrand returns, intent on murdering several of his former victims, including Mary Jane's best friend Liz! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #18: Firestarter!)_


	20. Firestarter!

"I don't know what amazes me more," Kitty Pryde told Mary Jane Watson as she returned to the apartment they shared late in the afternoon, "your amazingly strong work ethic, or your amazingly bad taste in literature," she smirked, raising an eyebrow at the _Twilight _book Mary Jane was reading. Mary Jane had spent almost the entire day catching up on her schoolwork and her lines in _A Streetcar Named Desire. _She remained seated in the same place, surrounded by the same mass of books, that Kitty had left her in when she'd gone out to run some errands earlier that day, the only difference being the Stephanie Meyer novel she was reading while taking a break.

"Har har," Mary Jane said sarcastically without looking up. "This from the girl who has the amazingly bad taste in music. After all, _I'm _not the one with all the Britney Spears albums," she smirked right back at Kitty, raising her eyes from her novel.

"What can I say?" Kitty shrugged. "I was a stupid little kid. Anyway, how's it going?"

"Well, my head hasn't exploded, so that's a plus," Mary Jane chuckled. "But I got enough done for today. How's Ben doing?"

"Still a little shaken up from the robbery done by that…what was the guy's name?"

"Jack O' Lantern," Mary Jane frowned. As Spider-Woman, she'd managed to drive Jack O' Lantern away, but not before the pumpkin-headed maniac had managed to kill several people and seriously injure many more.

"Yeah," Kitty nodded. "He'll be alright though. He was more worried about you," she finished with a wry grin, causing Mary Jane to blush in embarrassment.

Mary Jane only smiled and went back to her book, although in her mind she was juggling what she was going to say to Ben the next time he asked her out…and what she was going to say to Randy Robertson the next time _he _asked her out.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #18

"FIRESTARTER"

* * *

Phillip Watson scowled at the doorman as he waited for the lackey to let him into the South Side Gentleman's Club. It had been a very long day, and Phillip was eagerly looking forward to a good hard scotch on the rocks.

"I'm sorry Mr. Watson, but you're no longer welcome at the club," the doorman replied with an insolent smirk. The doorman had long resented Phillip's sneering, demeaning treatment of him and the rest of the club staff, and he relished the chance of getting even.

"What the fuck do you mean, I'm not welcome?" Phillip shouted, looking as if he was about to pop a blood vessel. "All I have to do is blink, and your ass is fired! Now let me in!"

"Really now, do you have to make a scene?" Phillip heard a mocking voice behind him. Turning around with a scowl, Phillip noted the arrival of J. Jonah Jameson, publisher, editor-in-chief, owner and sole stockholder of the _Daily Bugle_ and a long-standing member of the club. There was no love lost between the two men, who had hated each other for years.

"Are you fucking with me, Jameson?" Phillip demanded, his face red with anger. "You're behind this, aren't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Jameson asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just because you've been expelled from the club?"

"Expelled?" Phillip shouted again, this time attracting the attention of passerby, as the doorman continued standing nearby in silence, smirking all the while. "You know goddamn well you don't have the authority to do that, Jameson!"

"Maybe not," Jameson replied calmly, folding his arms, "but the executive most certainly does. They don't particularly care to have an anti-mutant bigot among their membership."

"Those mutant shits were lying!" Phillip roared at the top of his lungs, dropping his briefcase and charging at Jameson, before slamming him against the wall of the building. Ever since he had been exposed by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as a supporter of the anti-mutant group that called itself the Friends of Humanity, Phillip had lost numerous clients, many of whom were afraid that doing business with him would harm their professional reputations.

"Then how come you only ever said it _after _people started abandoning you?" Jameson asked, easily breaking free of Phillip's grip and gently pushing him back. "Funny how no one at the _Daily Bugle _recalls you making a statement after your loved ones were taken hostage…"

Seething in rage, Phillip didn't bother to reply, simply picking up his briefcase and leaving.

This was the last fucking straw.

_

* * *

_

Every day, it's the same.

_I wake up thinking about how much I hate Spider-Woman. How much I want to make her life a living hell. How much I want to make her suffer before I destroy her. _

_I go to sleep thinking about how much I hate Spider-Woman. How much I want to make her life a living hell. How much I want to make her suffer before I destroy her._

_While I sleep, I dream about how much I hate Spider-Woman. How much I want to make her life a living hell. How much I want to make her suffer before I destroy her._

_Every moment of every day, even as I put on the mask that defines my daily existence, and go about my life, surrounded by the hypocrites who hide their own true selves, I think about Spider-Woman and how she is the greatest hypocrite of them all. _

_Finally, I sit down at my computer and I begin to analyze the data I obtained from the tracking device I planted on her. I had prepared for encountering her, or even another superhero, after my first battle with her, and so one of my weapons contained a microscopic tracking device that I could use to determine her movements. _

_My computer analyzes the data of her movements over the past two days, and I'm shocked at what I see. _

_Is this even possible? _

_Can Spider-Woman be who I think she is? _

_This is far beyond what I expected! _

_This opens the door to so many exciting possibilities…_

_I burst out laughing. _

_I laugh for hours, and I just can't stop myself. _

_Oh, the fun I'm going to have…_

* * *

Mary Jane couldn't believe her luck when she stopped in at the Coffee Bean and saw Randy Robertson waiting in line. Calling out to him and waving, she quickly managed to slip in behind him.

"How's it going?" she asked with a smile.

"Fine," he replied, briefly glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm doing good too," she grinned. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for breaking our date on Tuesday-I had to work that night."

"Yeah, I'll bet," he said, glancing over his shoulder again with a brief frown.

"…What's wrong?" she asked with a frown. "I'm sorry I didn't call you, but I had to get to work as soon as possible, and I really need the money-"

"Uh-huh," Randy answered, not even looking over his shoulder this time, before he became next in line to place his orders. He calmly did so and went to sit down, Mary Jane hurrying over to join him after she had gotten some coffee of her own.

"Randy, what's the matter?" she asked as she sat down with him, more urgently this time.

"You have a lot of fun at the Plaza Hotel on Wednesday?" he asked sarcastically, finally looking up at her.

"…What?" she asked in surprise. "I don't understand…"

"Don't tell me you forgot about how you were hanging off Ben Reilly's arm," Randy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mary Jane just stood there in shock.

"…He asked me out," she said, slightly incredulous at Randy's behavior.

"I thought we had something special going," Randy scowled at her, "but then you go and step out with Ben behind my back. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

"But…Randy…" Mary Jane shook her head, trying to understand what was going on. "I…I mean I didn't think we were…"

"So you were just leading me on," Randy spat in disgust. "I should have guessed. Felicia said you were like that in high school, too."

"I…Felicia?" Mary Jane asked, her voice turning frigid at the mention of Felicia Hardy's name. "What the hell did she tell you?"

"Look available, be unobtainable," Randy rolled his eyes. "Lead the guys on, make them think they're special, and then drop them when they get too close."

"Randy…I…no, I never meant to do that-" Mary Jane fumbled repeatedly, trying to understand what Randy was saying. "I was just really stressed out, and Ben tried to cheer me up!"

Randy just stared back at her, disdain crossing his face.

"You really hurt me, Mary Jane," Randy finally said after a minute of stiff silence. "I thought you really liked me. Instead, it's the same old bullshit I've always had to deal with."

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked, more gently this time. "What happened-"

The hand she tried to reach out to him was slapped away, as he got up and threw his coffee cup in the garbage.

Mary Jane just sat there in stunned amazement as Randy stormed out.

* * *

"So you are unaware of any circumstances that may have caused Dr. Kafka to disable the security systems?" the prosecutor asked Dr. Karla Sofen as she testified before the grand jury inquiry.

"I honestly can't say," Dr. Sofen shrugged. "Perhaps Dr. Kafka suffered from some form of stress-related illness. It's an unfortunate fact that the psychiatric profession can take just as much of a toll on its practitioners as on its victims, particularly when dealing with patients as potentially unsettling as the residents of Ravenscroft can be."

Dr. Sofen's testimony had been part of a larger investigation to determine how the massive jailbreak at the Ravenscroft Asylum for the Criminally Insane, which had unleashed an army of insane supervillains on New York City, could have occurred. Dr. Ashley Kafka, the chief psychiatrist and overall head administrator of the facility, had eventually been blamed for the disaster, as it had been determined that only she would have had the authority to disable both the alarms and the power restraints.

Dr. Kafka had been killed by Blackout during the escape, which had spared her being arraigned on criminal charges. Unfortunately, it hadn't prevented her from being publically blamed for the disaster, and mercilessly castigated in the media, in government circles, and even by her fellow psychiatrists for her actions.

"Do psychological breakdowns tend to be this dramatic?" the District Attorney asked Dr. Sofen.

"Not typically," she replied. "In fact, the signs are typically much more apparent much sooner than this. It is possible, however, that someone as knowledgeable as Dr. Kafka may have determined the best means to conceal or even repress her own illness until such time as she could no longer contain. Without the opportunity for in-depth analysis, determining the exact nature of Dr. Kafka's illness is now impossible," she explained.

_

* * *

_

I'm just a lonely boy…

_Lonely and blue…_

_Here all alone…_

_With nothing to do…_

The classic Paul Anka song played in the background on Ronald Hilliard's CD player as the teenager worked diligently at his computer. His parents had gone to some other high-society shindig with his cousins, leaving him at home alone.

Not that Ronald minded, particularly since it gave him more time for his computer. After a few hours of work, he'd already found several examples of what he was looking for. Clicking to download the image and then print it out, he leaned back in satisfaction.

As the image appeared on the printout, Ronald's eyes grew wider and wider as the picture was formed.

One of the unfortunate realities celebrities had been forced to confront over the years had been their objectification in one form or another. Their pictures were Photoshopped to put them in obscene situations, they were drawn in sexually explicit positions, and otherwise displayed in perverted images made by particularly obsessed "fans". Superheroes and supervillains were not immune to this disturbing phenomenon, and it was often worse for female heroes and villains alike.

Although she was not fully aware of the fact, Spider-Woman was one of the superpowered people most commonly depicted in these types of images and "art". It was entirely possible that she would have been sickened or outraged that such art in fact existed, but for Ronald Hilliard it was a wonderful sight to behold.

Holding the picture in one hand and picking up a roll of Scotch tape with the other, he dutifully attached it to the wall, along with all the others. Photographs of Spider-Woman webswinging competed for space on the walls of Ronald's room with drawings of Spider-Woman in various classic glamour girl poses, or sketches of her indulging the fetish of whichever artist had drawn it.

Smiling with pleasure at the completion of his work, Ronald yawned wearily and shut off his computer, before changing into his pajamas and cuddling down to sleep, surrounded by the images of the woman he loved.

* * *

"He certainly seems taken with her," Karen Reilly said to her brother as they chatted over lattes at the Empire State Coffee Shop. "I'm not so sure about her, myself."

"Why's that?" Steven Mark Levins, Karen's brother and uncle to Kitty Pryde and Ben Reilly, asked in surprise.

"She just seems so _perfect,_" Karen scowled. "All arrogant and rude, looking down her nose at everyone around her."

"But Kitty's good friends with her," Steven pointed out. "Didn't she give Kitty a place to stay?"

"Yeah, I suppose…" Karen shook her head. "But then Kitty told me about how bad-tempered she is. I mean, really, where does she get off complaining about how hard her life is supposed to be?"

Steve only raised an eyebrow.

"You really never know what those types of people are like," he said with some distaste. "After all, who knows? She might have gotten mixed up in some really bad stuff-I heard her father's involved with the Friends of Humanity."

Karen's eyes flared in horror.

"The Friends of Humanity?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Steve nodded unhappily. "I've met Phillip Watson a couple of times, and I've never liked him. He tries to portray himself as this upstanding citizen, but he was always a hateful, spiteful bastard underneath it all. These sorts of things are never too far from the surface."

Karen had a distinctly sour look on her face.

"Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if his daughter's just the same," Steve shook his head. "Phillip's a rich snob with a bad temper-how do you know that this Mary Jane girl is just as bad? From everything you're saying, it sounds like that's the case."

"Thanks a lot, Steve," Karen finally said, reaching out and patting her brother's arm in sympathetic thanks.

Steve only smiled in response, even as he reflected on the disgusting hypocrisy of the Watson family.

* * *

Maggie Beck leaned back as she pondered her Psychology paper. Laying on the desk in front of her were pictures of many of the prominent female superheroes and villains. The heroes were represented by Warbird, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, the Invisible Woman, Storm, Rogue, Jean Grey and Spider-Woman, while the villains were represented by the likes of Screaming Mimi, Spectra, Lullaby, Tarot, Typhoid Mary, Titania, the Ringer, Mystique, the Crimson Commando and Spiral.

As formidable as all of these women were, Maggie couldn't help but lament the fact that they were far outnumbered by men in both the heroic and villainous professions. Indeed, the rogues galleries (to use a pop culture term that described the recurring group of enemies every superhero seemed to gather at one point or another) of all the female heroes were mostly made up of men.

Still, that made a great subject for her thesis when she began her graduate studies in the fall, namely examining how women tended to be minimized both as superheroes and supervillains.

She leaned back and pondered exactly which angle she would use to examine the subject.

Opening up her favorite collection of Poe's works, she turned to _The Tell-Tale Heart _and began reading.

* * *

He used to call himself Harvey Broxtel, son of wealthy steel baron Gary Broxtel and his wife Emily. Everyone else around him used to give him names like "trouble", "bully", "sadist" and "psychopath", from the way he would violently attack people who had less wealth or muscle than him. Much to his parents' dismay, Harvey had reveled in what he saw as his family's wealth and power, taking a sadistic joy in abusing those he deemed poor and weak.

Harvey, for his part, simply viewed it as his right to do whatever he wanted to the lowly peons, and tended to get very angry whenever his victims fought back. As a result, he had been in more fights than his embarrassed parents could count. Their efforts to curb his hatred for poorer people by enrolling Harvey in a public school hadn't done any good, with their son simply becoming more violent until he was finally arrested for beating one of his former victims very nearly to death for telling the school authorities about Harvey's bullying.

If there was one thing Harvey hated even more than poor people, it was snitches.

Fortunately, he'd been given the power to pay them back when, during a prison escape, he was doused by a special radioactive plasma that had given him the amazing ability to generate and control flame. Now clad in a suit of metal plates that had melted into his skin during the explosion that had sprayed the plasma all over him, Harvey had begun using his frightening powers to try and burn down the surrounding neighborhood, before that damned Spider-Woman had stopped him.

He used to call himself Harvey Broxtel, but now he preferred to call himself Firebrand.

He thought it suited him very well, particularly with what he planned to do to his betrayers. Despite being enslaved by that Psyko freak, Firebrand had managed to regain his senses after Psyko was defeated and managed to avoid being recaptured, and had laid low for the past couple of weeks while he tracked down his targets.

Now that the business was taken care of, of course, it was time for the pleasure.

* * *

Living in Queens was pretty ordinary for someone like Charlie Weiderman, who had lived there all his life and almost certainly planned to stay there. The Weidermans had never had much money, but Charlie's parents had put every spare penny they had into their son's education. Always one with a head for numbers, Charlie had gone on to Metropolitan University, hoping to parlay his mathematical skills into a job with ClarkeTech or Richmond Industries.

In many respects, Charlie was happier than he'd been in a long time. Being not much bigger than Peter Parker when they both went to Midtown High, Charlie had come to despise the place, not least of which was because of the beatings that people like Harvey Broxtel and Eddie Brock would always lay into him with. Free of all the pain and the misery he'd had to endure in high school, Charlie lived his days out poring dutifully over his logarithms and algebraic formulas, happy to put all the bad memories behind him.

Hence it was all the more shocking when he heard the loud explosion on the roof of his house. Racing upstairs from the basement where he'd been studying, Charlie nearly gagged in horror as he saw that the entire upper floor of his house was already on fire. Not wasting any time, Charlie quickly made his way outside, pulling out his cell phone to dial 911.

He should have kept running, as he froze in shock at the wall of fire that suddenly sprung up to surround him. Looking around in fear, Charlie felt a thrill of horror as he saw the flames seemingly part to allow a bizarre figure to make its way into the ring of fire. The man-or what seemed to be a man-was covered in red and gold metal plates that seemed to be sunk right into its body, complete with a twisted, ghoulish facemask that covered everything but the creature's eyes. Flames danced all over its body, although the thing did not seem to feel any pain.

"Wh…what are you?" Charlie gasped, paralyzed by terror.

_"What's the matter, Charlie?" _the thing rasped back at him. _"Don't tell me you've forgotten already? Every time I smashed your head against a door? Every time I nearly twisted your arm off? Every time I hit you with a baseball bat? Come on, Charlie…think back…don't you remember?" _

Charlie's stomach twisted in knots as he suddenly realized who he was dealing with.

"Oh my God…" he mumbled. "Harvey…that…no God no…please…please don't…"

_"You don't get to call me that!" _the metal-clad man shrieked, as the flames on his body suddenly intensified. _"You are only allowed to address me as Firebrand. Do I make myself clear?" _

"Y…yes, sir…" Charlie gulped, now sweating profusely as much from fear as from the heat.

_"Now then," _Firebrand replied, suddenly taking on a more businesslike tone, _"do you remember what happened between us in high school?" _

Charlie just stood there, frozen in fear.

_"ANSWER ME!" _Firebrand roared in fury, as the flames all around him suddenly intensified yet again and Charlie was nearly burned. The young man was almost ready to faint from the heat, but his terror kept him upright.

"I…I don't…remember…" Charlie mumbled, his voice fading as Firebrand waited expectantly.

_"You told on me," _Firebrand rasped, his flames simmering now. _"You snitched on me." _

_"I HATE SNITCHES!" _Firebrand screamed at the top of his lungs, as he emitted an intense wave of fire all around him. Charlie Weiderman didn't even have time to scream before he was incinerated along with his house. The neighboring houses and vehicles all burst into flames as well, ignited by the terrifying flames emanating from Firebrand as he vented his rage and his hatred. People ran screaming in every direction, even as the firefighters who were now on the scene were forced to pull back, the flames becoming simply too intense for them to fight.

Laughing hysterically, Firebrand flew into the air and took off to find his next victim, tossing a few fireballs at the retreating bystanders and cackling as they fled.

In his wake was left the charred bones of what had once been Charlie Weiderman, along with the burned bodies of several of Charlie's neighbors who could not escape the flames fast enough.

* * *

After another long night of working at the coffee shop and another long day of working on her studies and her lines for the play, Mary Jane was ready for a break. Kitty had to work that evening, so she decided to visit Liz Allan instead, wanting to see if Liz would be interested in getting some dinner or going to a movie.

Any thought of doing that instantly vanished from her mind when she saw the police blockade further ahead, and the crowd of civilians arguing heatedly with the officers. Alarmed, she ran towards the blockade to see what was going on.

"What's the matter?" she asked an older woman who was standing at the edge of the crowd.

"Some flame-spitting maniac is on the loose," the woman said. "The police said he calls himself Fireball, or Flamebrand, or something like that."

It was the last thing Mary Jane had wanted to hear, but it was also the last thing she needed to hear.

She didn't know what Firebrand was doing here or what he was planning, but if it was a fight he was looking for, she intended to give it to him.

Liz Allan had seen the reports on the news, and she knew she was in serious trouble. She recognized several of the victims Firebrand had killed, including the unlucky Charlie Weiderman, and she hadn't needed the newscast to tell her that they all tied back to Harvey Broxtel, the most sadistic bully in the history of Midtown High. She still got the shivers when she recalled the way he had looked at her, and the way he had viciously beaten people like Charlie and Peter Parker.

She had already left her apartment, and was well on her way to the police station when she heard the explosions and screaming behind her. Running ahead frantically, she saw the wall of fire spring up in front of her as the buildings on either side of the street exploded in fire. Turning around at the sickening laughter, Liz felt her heart sink as she saw Firebrand levitate down to the ground, lowering the temperature of his flames as he approached her.

_"I think you still owe me one more dance," _Firebrand grinned behind his mask. _"Pucker up, sweetie, and prepare for the hottest kiss of your life." _

Liz recoiled in horror, struggling against her fear, when she suddenly saw a flash of light come from above, striking Firebrand in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Not wasting any time, she turned and ran, even as she noticed a stream of silvery thread coming from above to smother the flames in front of her. Liz quickly ran through the flames, noting the spectacular Spider-Woman as she dropped down behind Liz, spraying her webbing to either side to douse at least some of the flames burning the buildings to either side of them.

Firebrand struggled to his feet, looking around in surprise. When he saw who had ambushed him, he exploded in a rage.

_'SPIDER-WOMAN?" _he screamed at the top of his lungs, as he began to glow with a dangerous aura of dark-red fire.

"I knew I'd run into you sooner or later," Spider-Woman replied calmly, her hands shimmering with the energy of her sting blasts. "Having fun picking on people who can't fight back? Or are those the only people you can take?"

Shrieking incoherently, almost out of his mind with rage, Firebrand unleashed a colossal wave of flame at Spider-Woman. Flipping forward and then springing through the air in a masterful gymnastics twirl, Spider-Woman leapt over the flames, her amazing strength propelling her high enough to clear the fire. Spraying one of her hands to cover it in webbing as she spun through the air, Spider-Woman landed on her feet and caught Firebrand with a webline before he could react, dragging him forward to be slammed against her fist. The webbing covering her hand prevented it from being burned by his flames, before she tossed it away to begin blasting away at Firebrand with her sting blasts.

Staggering under Spider-Woman's relentless assault, Firebrand rolled out of the way of her next blasts and shot a massive fireball at Spider-Woman at point-blank range. She managed to weaken it with a wide spray of her webbing, but it exploded violently nonetheless. Spider-Woman screamed in pain as the flames washed over her lower body, jumping back as much as possible and shielding her face from the merciless flames.

Rolling around on the ground to extinguish the flames that scorched her costume, Spider-Woman was forced to dodge as Firebrand, having reclaimed the advantage, now struck at her with long streams of fire he wielded like whips, extending from his hands. The sadistic villain laughed out loud as he forced Spider-Woman to leap over one low-riding stream of fire, before he slammed her in midair with the other stream and then caused the other stream to explode in a fireball as she fell on top of it. Writhing in agony, it was all Spider-Woman could do dodge this last blast.

Struggling to her feet, Spider-Woman looked around and saw a number of firefighters in the distance, who were too busy battling the blazes Firebrand had caused and trying to rescue the people trapped in the burning buildings. Grimly, she realized that Firebrand had probably left a path of destruction in his wake simply coming down here…

That thought gave her a second wind, as she leapt around the next three fireballs Firebrand tossed at her and caught him with a double sting blast. Staggering in pain, Firebrand's temper began to rise again as he screamed in rage, even as his flames became even _more _intense, if that was at all possible. The wreckage all around them burst into flames again as waves of fire emanated from the crazed villain.

In the flaming rubble all around them, Spider-Woman found her answer. Spraying her webbing at Firebrand with one hand to distract him, Spider-Woman caught a large pile of debris with one hand and swung it at Firebrand like a flail, hitting him hard and knocking him off balance. Blasting him once again with her electrical stings, Spider-Woman repeatedly alternated her attacks, blasting Firebrand one moment and then using her webbing to sling large pieces of wreckage at him the next. As the flames began to die down, Spider-Woman put everything she had into one final double blast, which finally stunned Firebrand and knocked him senseless.

As the adrenaline of battle faded, Spider-Woman sank to her knees, exhausted with the effort and wincing in pain from her burns. She saw the firemen and paramedics working diligently all around her, putting out the last of Firebrand's madness and treating his victims. She noticed several of the paramedics coming for her, intending to give her the same treatment all of Firebrand's victims received.

Too exhausted to refuse, she gratefully stood up and accepted their help.

* * *

Liz had to be treated for smoke inhalation and shock, but she would be alright, which unfortunately was more than could be said for Charlie Weiderman or the eight other people Firebrand had killed in his rampage. She stared sadly out the window, simply unable to comprehend what could have possibly motivated Harvey Broxtel to do what he did.

_Responsibility should come with power…shouldn't it?_ she wondered.

Looking up in surprise, she saw the door open and Mary Jane come in, limping all the while.

"Hey girlfriend," Mary Jane smiled at her oldest friend, wincing as she sat down. "How are you doing?"

"How are _you _doing?" Liz asked ironically, noting how singed and burned Mary Jane seemed to be, noting the bandages on her arms. "Don't tell me you got caught up in Harvey's rampages…"

"…Harvey?" Mary Jane asked in surprise, before Liz explained Firebrand's true identity and origins to her.

Mary Jane only paled at the news, before a look of what seemed almost like understanding crossed her face.

"Yeah, I got too close to one of the burning buildings," Mary Jane nodded. "I just want to see how you were feeling."

"I'll just need to stay overnight," Liz reassured her, "and then I'll be released tomorrow. But what about you? You look like you could use the rest."

"Oh, I got what I needed," Mary Jane replied, showing her bandaged arms and shoulders to Liz. "They said I'll be alright with some rest. I'm more worried about you, though-mind if I just sit with you for a while?"

"Sure, that'd be great," Liz smiled in sincere appreciation, before she leaned back on her pillow to rest.

Liz was indeed grateful for Mary Jane's presence, but at the back of her mind she reflected on everything that was wrong with this picture.

Liz's training as a nurse told her full well that no one with the kinds of burns Mary Jane had suffered would be allowed to leave the hospital on the same day she had been treated.

She thought back to the time she'd been kidnapped by Tarot, and found Mary Jane covered in scratches and bruises when they'd met afterwards.

And then there was the fact that, to Liz at least, Mary Jane had always been a bad liar.

Liz knew all these things, but she wasn't sure how to handle them.

As she drifted off to sleep, she continued going over it all in her mind.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane tries to patch up her relationship with Randy Robertson, even as she encounters new problems in her rehearsals for the play. At the same time, Liz tries to figure out what secret activities Harry is up to, Phillip Watson's personal fortunes continue to fall, and the mysterious Moonstone orchestrates a deadly kidnapping plot! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #19: Ill Met By Moonlight!)_


	21. Ill Met By Moonlight

"So your exams went well?" Mary Jane Watson smiled at Liz Allan as they ate their lunch in the Students' Union Building. "That's good to hear."

"Yeah, but I'm really glad it's over," Liz sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I was lucky to get any sleep at all studying."

Mary Jane only frowned in sympathy, realizing that she'd been lucky to do as well as she thought she did on her own exams. Work, rehearsals, studying and superheroing had all taken their toll on her, and she was just as glad that the semester was over.

"So what's going to happen with Harry?" she asked. "Have you heard from him since…well…"

"I know how it sounds, but at this point I'm having trouble even caring anymore," Liz replied bitterly. "It's terrible, I know, but…"

"But nothing," Mary Jane interrupted. "Harry ditches you all the time, he refuses to explain what he's doing…frankly, you're have been justified in dumping him," she pointed out.

"I suppose…" Liz replied. "I'm mad at him…but I'm worried about him, too. He's so angry at his father, I don't know what he'll do."

"Is there any way any of us could help?" Mary Jane asked. "Maybe Randy, Kitty or Ben could-"

"No, thanks," Liz shook her head. "Right now, I don't know if there's anything anyone can do."

Mary Jane only frowned in sympathy. She knew there wasn't much she could do to help Harry right now.

Of course, she knew that there were other ways of helping someone who needed it.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #19

"ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT"

* * *

Dr. Karla Sofen typed away diligently in her office at the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, before looking up at the knock on her door. Inviting the person in, she was surprised to see the middle-aged Dr. Charles Jefferson. Formerly one of the senior psychiatrists, Dr. Jefferson had been appointed overall head of the institution since the death of Dr. Ashley Kafka in the murderous breakout that had occurred several weeks ago. After Dr. Kafka had disabled all the security systems and overrides, the supervillain inhabitants of Ravencroft had staged a mass breakout led by the nightmarish Psyko, which had just barely been contained by the Avengers and New York's superhero population.

"So it's alright, then?" Dr. Sofen asked Dr. Jefferson as the older man sat down in the chair opposite her desk.

"I suppose it is," Dr. Jefferson sighed as he glanced over the notes he had brought with him. "You've been speaking with many of the patients?"

"Yes, I have," Dr. Sofen replied. She had intended to write up an analysis of the breakout and the riots from the supervillains' perspective, particularly in analyzing the mass reaction they had shared before Psyko had brainwashed them. As she had not been on the premises when the breakout occurred, Dr. Sofen had been more detached from the madness and was capable of taking what she viewed as a more balanced perspective on the matter.

"What did they tell you?" Dr. Jefferson asked.

"They all felt a sudden rush when they realized they were free," Dr. Sofen replied, glancing back at her notes. "Few of them had any real reservations, and in fact were looking forward to getting back out into the world where they could cause some real damage."

"How unfortunate," Dr. Jefferson sighed. "And when they fell victim to that Psyko creature, they all began suffering from terrible nightmares, didn't they?"

"That's right," Dr. Sofen nodded. "The Chain Gang dreamed of seeing his fellow soldiers die all over again, the Brothers Grimm dreamed of being trapped in a boring, lifeless bureaucracy, Blackout dreamed of being trapped entirely alone and in the dark, and so on."

"How interesting," Dr. Jefferson nodded. "Tell me then, what are your conclusions?"

"Considering how many of the supervillains returned to their base natures after they were freed of their nightmares, as opposed to the many sane victims who were traumatized by their own nightmares, it coincides with the greater fact that criminals are generally far less concerned with moral restraints than law-abiding citizens. In the case of our patients, it is all the more intensified by their madness. The majority of them feel far less horror at their own nightmares than do the sane," Dr. Sofen stated matter-of-factly.

Dr. Jefferson frowned at Dr. Sofen's analysis.

"A pity," he sighed. "You plan to have this published?"

"Absolutely," Dr. Sofen nodded. "You're having second thoughts?"

"No, not at all," Dr. Jefferson shook his head. "I'm just somewhat frustrated at our apparent inability to make any headway with our patients."

"All we can do is keep trying," Dr. Sofen reassured him.

In her mind, however, she began reflecting more and more on how the normal, sane people had reacted to the stress and fear of Psyko's nightmares.

* * *

"No, no, no!" Archibald Llewellyn shouted in frustration as he supervised the rehearsal for his impending performance of _A Streetcar Named Desire. _"Miss Watson, you are handling the scene all wrong!"

The other cast members glowered at Mary Jane as she blushed in embarrassment, even as Mr. Llewellyn continued muttering under his breath. For some reason, every time they tried rehearsing her scenes, Mr. Llewellyn had continually managed to find some new flaw in her performance. Either she wasn't using the proper accent, or she walked too forcefully, or her facial expressions were all wrong. As a result, Mary Jane had begun getting some increasingly unpleasant looks from the rest of the cast.

Mary Jane could understand Mr. Llewellyn's critiques to a certain extent, but some of them were getting more than a little bizarre. Now he was complaining about how she wasn't being 'earthy' enough in her rendition of the Strange Woman. Before that, he had been yelling at her for not 'presenting enough of an appealing glance' to the audience.

"Unless you step things up, Miss Watson," Mr. Llewellyn finally sighed in a dramatic flourish, "we may not be ready for opening night. All our efforts will have been in vain!"

Mary Jane looked down in embarrassment, still not able to figure out what Mr. Llewellyn meant with some of his more recent critiques.

"In any event, the time is now too late for continued rehearsal. I bid you all goodnight, anticipating your return for tomorrow at 7 PM sharp!"

As she packed up her things and headed for the door, Mary Jane caught up with Randy Robertson. He briefly glanced up as she called out to him, although he made an effort to ignore her as she followed him out. Finally, she caught up to him in the parking lot, as he was getting into his car.

"You did pretty good tonight," she grinned at him as he put his bag in the backseat of his car. "How'd finals go?"

Randy continued to ignore her.

"Look, Randy…I didn't mean to…" she began, as Randy moved to get into his car. Finally, he looked up at her.

"Need a ride?" he asked her. "No sense you taking the subway this time of night…"

"Sure, thanks a lot!" Mary Jane smiled at him as she got in, putting her own things in the backseat. As soon as she was buckled in, Randy started the car and pulled out into the street, staring straight ahead without saying anything.

They rode in silence for a few minutes.

"Randy?" she started.

Randy continued to ignore her.

"Look, I'm really sorry about me and Ben," she continued. "I thought we were just dating casually. I didn't realize you felt that way, honest…"

Randy blinked once, before a sad look crossed his face. He drove for another minute or so before finally speaking.

"So why'd you stand me up, then?" he asked acidly.

"I was called in to work," Mary Jane shook her head, "and I had an absolutely miserable night. By the time it was over, I was so stressed and upset I completely forgot about our date. I ran into Ben when I got home, and he offered to take me out. I just forgot to tell you, Randy. I'm sorry, I really am…"

Randy's expression softened at Mary Jane's explanation.

"I get what you're saying, MJ," he finally said, as they pulled into the parking lot of Mary Jane's apartment building. "I've just been burned really bad in the past. That's why I was so angry."

"You were burned?" Mary Jane asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"It's way too long a story," Randy shook his head, "and it's way too late to be telling it. I have to get up early for work tomorrow…and you need your beauty rest," he finished with a half-smile.

"So…we're…" Mary Jane asked tentatively.

"I'll be alright," Randy smiled back, as Mary Jane got out of the car. They waved to each other as Randy pulled out of the parking lot and got back on the road.

Smiling gratefully, Mary Jane made her way into the building and up to her apartment, glad that at least _something _seemed to be going right these days.

At the back of her mind, however, she continued to dwell on her confusion over Mr. Llewellyn's increasingly bizarre criticisms.

* * *

"So why did you cast her?" Wilhelmina Llewellyn asked her husband Archibald as they took in lunch at their favorite bistro the next day. "I confess I don't quite understand…"

"To teach the young lady some humility," Archibald sniffed disdainfully. "I have lost all patience with the plethora of young women, both on stage and on screen, who attain their roles through their looks, rather than their talent! Hopefully at least Miss Watson will learn that she cannot hope to progress in her theatrical career on physical appearance alone!" he completed with a dramatic flourish.

"Quite so," Wilhelmina sighed, by now quite used to her husband's eccentricities. She didn't bother trying to talk Archibald out of his inane schemes, knowing full well she'd have better luck talking to a wall.

That said, Wilhelmina did feel a certain twinge of pity for the latest unlucky actor (or actress, in this case) to get on Archibald's bad side.

* * *

"Like a virgin…touched for the very first time…" Ronald Hilliard sang as he ascended the stairs to head back to his bedroom. Smiling winningly as he shut the door and turned on the romantic music, he set about daydreaming about his beloved Spider-Woman, until he was interrupted by the knock at the door.

Looking up in annoyance, Ronald was not very surprised, and even less pleased, to see his mother standing in the doorway, looking around in amazement at the posters, sketches, and photographs of Spider-Woman that covered every inch of Ronald's room. Whether she was fighting one of her enemies, webswinging from building to building, posing in some sort of erotic position or indulging whatever twisted fetish the artist had was thinking of, Spider-Woman was the biggest thing-if not the _only _thing-on Ronald's mind.

Mrs. Hilliard felt more than a little nauseated, learning far more about her sixteen year-old son's fantasy life than she'd ever wanted to know. All she could do was stare around the room in amazement, until an irritated Ronald interrupted her.

"What the hell do you want?" he demanded rudely, scowling as his mother stood there nonplussed, trying to remember what she'd come in to talk to him about.

"I…I was just going to ask you if you were interested in joining your cousins for that party at the Templetons," Mrs. Hilliard replied.

"Again with the goddamn parties," Ronald sneered. "Why the hell are you always bugging me about them?" he rolled his eyes.

"Because all you ever do is stay cooped up…Ronnie, what _is _all this?" she demanded, gesturing around at the Spider-Woman pictures covering Ronald's walls.

"What's it look like?" he grinned. "I finally found a girlfriend."

Mrs. Hilliard simply stared back at her son in amazement.

"Ronnie...you…you don't even know this girl! How could you possibly think she's your girlfriend?" she sputtered, still trying to comprehend Ronnie's logic.

"Because she fought to protect me from that twisted Jack O' Lantern freak," Ronald replied calmly. "She risked her life to save me. She _loves _me," he finished, as a dreamy look came into his eyes.

"Ronnie…sweetie…" his mother stammered, caught completely off guard by Ronald's words. "She wasn't just there for you, she was trying to protect everyone else who was there. She's a superhero, that's her job."

"I might have known you'd try and get between us," Ronald muttered. "Besides, she showed she cared for me. Jack O' Lantern could have killed me, and she managed to protect me! And she knows I care for her…"

"Ronald, she is _not _in love with you!" Mrs. Hilliard shouted in frustration, now completely flustered. "Maybe if you got out of your room once in a while and actually _talked _to some women besides me, you might meet someone! Taking the time to actually shower or use deodorant wouldn't hurt either," she continued, shaking her head as her son continued to ignore her.

"Ronald-" she tried again.

He finally did look up at her, and his eyes flashed.

Mrs. Hilliard felt a chill run down her spine, before closing the door and leaving her son alone in his room.

She felt herself shivering as she made her way back down the hall.

* * *

Already half-drunk, Phillip Watson could do nothing but rant and rave about the latest client to abandon him. He had sweated blood to get in good with Wilson Fisk, and get a share of Roxxon's extremely lucrative trade, and now it was all cut off. Just about the only ones left were Norman Osborn and his various criminal clients, but the setbacks the Maggia continued to endure at the hands of Crimewave and Phillipe Bazin meant he couldn't depend on them forever.

Then again, he'd met a number of costumed supervillains while working with the Maggia. He'd even employed a couple of them on Osborn's behalf, notably the Constrictor and Will O' the Wisp. Supervillains often tended to become flush with cash all at once, and needed to dispose of it in a hurry. Perhaps Phillip just needed to find a new use for his skills, if most of the rest of his clients were going to ditch him…

At first he smiled, but then stopped short as he heard his back door slam.

Even as hardened as he was, Phillip felt his skin crawl at the sickening, ghoulish laughter that suddenly seemed to echo through the penthouse. As bad as the laughter was, still worse was the sight of the obscenity that flew into Phillip's den. The creature had gloves and boots that resembled skeletal limbs, a collection of twisted devices hanging from its belt, a chestplate covered in what looked disturbingly like tiny skulls, and a horrifying, nightmarish leering pumpkin for a head.

Although he'd never met the thing before, Phillip already knew what it was.

The Jack O' Lantern.

"W…what the hell do you want?" Phillip demanded, stumbling back in alarm.

_"What a lovely place," _Jack O' Lantern mused, looking around admiringly at the rich décor. _"You must know a lot of people in high places..." _

"And they'll make you live to regret it if you hurt me," Phillip threatened, regaining some of his boldness.

_"Hurt you?" _Jack O' Lantern seemed to smile behind his impassive pumpkin mask. _"Please. Rather, I'd like to express my admiration for you." _

"A…admiration?" Phillip asked in surprise. "For what?"

_"For everything," _Jack O' Lantern said smoothly, as he jumped off his hover disc and took a seat on Phillip's couch. _"Until very recently, you hid your face, your true face, behind one of the most exquisitely crafted masks I've ever seen in my life." _

"…What the hell are you talking about?" Phillip demanded.

_"I know who you are," _Jack O' Lantern seemed to smirk, as he folded his arms behind his head and put his feet up on Phillip's coffee table, making himself comfortable as if he owned the place. _"You hate the mutants, you want to see them all dead or enslaved, but you're forced to hide your feelings behind a concern for the harm they might do. Many of your clients, to keep up their own masks, those facades that disguise their true feelings, abandon you because your true feelings were revealed." _

"_They hate the mutants too, but they don't want to make their feelings known. They're afraid of what people will think of them, so they distance themselves from you. Otherwise, they're afraid people will think they have the same feelings, and their own images, their own masks, will suffer." _

Phillip stood in silence, not quite knowing what to make of Jack O' Lantern's speech.

_"You try to hide your dealings with the Maggia, because you know what people will think. You try and present yourself as an upstanding citizen, even though you-rather openly, I might add-cheated on your wife with women young enough to be your daughters. Even now, you deny your support of the Friends of Humanity, who are in turn publicly condemned by so many people who still covertly support them," _Jack O' Lantern continued.

_"I know everything about you, Phillip Watson," _he whispered, his voice turning cold as ice. _"I know about your dealings with the Friends, your dealings with the criminals, the way you've mistreated your family…I know it all. And yet you try and hide it all behind a mask of respectability." _

"You're the one in the fucking mask!" Phillip shouted, growing increasingly unnerved by Jack O' Lantern's words. Reaching into his pocket, he tried to pull out his gun, more than ready to blow the son of a bitch away, if he had to.

Faster than lightning, Jack O' Lantern sprang off the couch and reached onto his belt, before dropping a pumpkin-shaped grenade onto the floor. The grenade unleashed a sickly-sweet pinkish gas, which Phillip inhaled before he could hold his breath. Completely paralyzed, he dropped his gun and sank to the floor, as Jack O' Lantern steadily advanced on him. The pumpkin-headed lunatic picked him up and gently put him down on the couch, even going so far as to put the gun back in his pocket before pulling up a chair and sitting down opposite Phillip.

_"Hence the irony of it all," _Jack O' Lantern hissed, seemingly to smile once again behind the flaming pumpkin. _"I'm forced to wear a costume and a mask to show what I truly am. You see, friend Phillip, I'm evil. I'm the villain. I know it, I acknowledge it, I revel in it," _he continued. _"The reason I do what I do is because I embrace my dark side. In my heart, in my soul, I truly am what you see before you. I'm a freak, a horror, a monster." _

_"Far too many people, you see, refuse to acknowledge their dark sides. They hide so many of their truest thoughts behind their civilized facades, wearing figurative masks because they're afraid of what people think. They're hypocrites, pretending to like each other when deep down they hate the people they're dealing with. The only thing holding them back is their own fear of how people react," _he continued.

_"I'm more than that," _Jack O' Lantern said as he retrieved another pumpkin from his belt. _"I'm everything they fear, I'm everything they hate. I embrace what I am. I'm sick, twisted and depraved. And yet, I have to wear a mask and a costume to show the world what I am, to be able to act out my fantasies and have my fun. The irony is all the more sickening, that a mask must reveal our truest emotions and feelings." _

_"But you're going to help me change all that, Phillip," _Jack O' Lantern sniggered as he dropped the pumpkin grenade on the floor and it began emanating a silvery-white gas. _"I devised this special formula just for you…" _

Until now, Phillip had merely been paralyzed, forced to listen to Jack O' Lantern's rantings. Now, as he breathed in the silver gas, he felt himself slowly blacking out, even as he heard Jack O' Lantern's bone-chilling laughter continuing to echo faintly in the background…

* * *

In recent years, Google had become _the _premier search engine, backed by a company worth hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars. By simply typing in a person's name, an Internet user could in theory find almost anything recorded about them online.

It was all Liz Allan could hope for as she typed Harry Osborn's name. While she had told Mary Jane that there probably wasn't anything more anyone could do, that had been as much keep Mary Jane from fretting, as her honest belief that they couldn't do anything. This was pretty much her last chance…

Nothing about Harry himself came up in response to her search, but she stumbled across a financial website with a very strange bit of news. Apparently, a large quantity of Osborn Industries stock had appeared on the open market. This was fairly unusual, as Harry had told Liz that shares in Oscorp were generally highly sought after for their value and their blue-chip status. It would have been like any other stock trade, except for the fact that such a large share of Oscorp stock was being traded all at once.

Liz was no financier, but even she could tell that whoever was selling those shares was probably making out like a bandit.

A strange thought flashed across her mind.

Was Harry the one selling those shares?

And if so, why?

* * *

Bruce McFarlane, commonly referred to as "Kong" by his friends due to his massive size and hairy, apelike face, slammed the door behind him as he took off his shoes, weary after a long day of studies. Eagerly looking forward to dinner, he called out to his parents.

There was no answer to Kong's first call, or to his second.

Puzzled, he started looking for them, and felt a chill of horror at finding his father on the living room floor, badly beaten and barely conscious. As Kong gently lifted him up and put him down on the couch, the telephone rang. Ignoring the phone until it went to voice mail, Kong turned around to scowl at it as it rang again and then ran to answer it as he saw his mother's cell phone come up on the call display.

"Mom?" he asked frantically. "What's going on? What happened to-"

_"Bruce, please…" _his mother pleaded on the other end. _"She's going to kill me." _

"…What?" Kong started. "Who did this to you? What happened?"

_"Look down on the table where the phone is," _Kong's mother replied. _"Do you see that little device?" _

"Yeah…" Bruce said, as he looked at it curiously.

_"Attach it to your shirt collar," _his mother replied.

"Wait, why would I-" Kong began.

_"Bruce, please! She'll kill me if you don't!"_ his mother sobbed, herself almost out of her mind with panic as Kong attached the device to his collar.

"Hey, Mom, I'll call the police. Let me-" he began.

The line suddenly went dead.

Kong felt himself beginning to panic as the tears of frustration began welling up, before he turned back to his father.

He suddenly felt a burst of rage as he saw the injuries his father had suffered.

* * *

Mrs. McFarlane couldn't stop sobbing as Moonstone reached into the prison of light and confiscated her cell phone, shutting it off with a satisfied smile. All around the warehouse, several large cubes of transparent golden light stood, each one containing one of Moonstone's victims. The silver-helmeted, gold-clad woman grinned at their reactions, fascinated by how some of her prisoners shouted and threatened her, others broke down in tears and begged for mercy, while the last one simply lay there silently, seemingly resigned to his fate.

It had cost a fair amount of money to purchase the monitoring and tracking devices and get the Tinkerer to set them up, but they'd been well worth the price to see how her victims' families were reflecting on it. The warehouse had come very cheap, particularly after she'd hypnotized the owner into letting her use it for a month, no questions asked. The devices her victims' family members had been forced to wear contained miniature cameras and microphones, along with tracking modules that let her know where they were at all times.

Aside from observing the psychological reactions, she was eager to see if any of the family members would have the wits to trace her somehow.

* * *

Having stopped in to check on her mother's bank accounts, Mary Jane was now waiting at the bus stop, once again going over how to best approach the play. It was only after she saw him running towards her, violently shoving people out of the way, that Mary Jane recognized Kong. She blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the intense look on his face and his heavy, labored breathing.

"Hey, Kong!" she called out to him, even as he kept advancing on her. The big man didn't even seem to notice them, forcing Mary Jane and the other people waiting with her to dodge out of the way. One older man wasn't fast enough, however, and was knocked over as Kong slammed into him, giving a cry of alarm as he fell towards the pavement.

In a flash, Mary Jane had sprung over and caught the man before he hit the ground, setting him down gently on the bench before springing after Kong. As fast as Kong was, renowned for his speed in his high school football days, he still wasn't fast enough for Mary Jane, who quickly caught him and forced him to stop, maintaining a firm grip on his arm with her spider-strength despite Kong's best efforts.

"Kong! KONG!" Mary Jane shouted at the big man, who continued pulling at her. "What's wrong with you? You could have really hurt that guy!"

"Let me go! Let me go!" Kong shouted in anger, even as a number of other passersby began gathering around them. Although Kong towered over Mary Jane, she easily pulled him back and sat him down on the park bench, even as several other people followed them. The other people were muttering angrily, but none of them dared confront the huge young man.

"Kong, listen to me," Mary Jane said gently but firmly. "Whatever's going on, you're not going to solve it by just running around screaming. You need to tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."

"My mother…she...she's been kidnapped," Kong muttered in between deep breaths as he fought to regain control. "I've got to…find her…they'll kill her…"

The passerby's anger soon turned to sympathy, as they saw for themselves the frustration and anger on Kong's face. Mary Jane felt the same way-she'd met Kong's mother once, and Mrs. McFarlane was one of the sweetest, kindest people she'd ever known.

"You should call the police," Mary Jane urged him. "They can help you find her."

"My dad already did," Kong muttered. "I can't wait that long-I don't know what they're going to do to Mom…"

"How are you going to find her?" another bystander interjected.

"I…I don't know!" Kong finally shouted in frustration. "But there's got to be something I can do!"

Mary Jane thought for a moment.

"Did you try using call trace?" she asked, remembering how Peter Parker had taught her how to use the Global Positioning System to trace not just the number, but even the location, of specific cellular phones that called one's own. As Kong handed her the phone, she began inputting the signal, smiling in relief when she saw the warehouse pop up on the map. Fortunately, Kong's cell phone was made by Stark Enterprises-from what Peter had told her, Stark's enhancements to the GPS had enhanced its capabilities tremendously over the last few years.

"Why didn't you take this to the police?" she asked him after handing the phone back.

"I completely lost my head," Kong said in some embarrassment. "I know, I should have taken this to the cops right away. But that's what I'm going to do, believe me!" he grinned as he stood up, before turning back to Mary Jane briefly.

"Thanks a lot, MJ," he grinned at her. "You're a lifesaver."

Many of the passersby wished him good luck as he ran off.

Mary Jane nodded her appreciation of Kong's thanks, before a disturbing thought hit her.

What if whoever was holding Mrs. McFarlane prisoner was monitoring her phone somehow?

It would take time for Kong to get to the police station, and for the police to get to the warehouse-time that Mrs. McFarlane and whoever else was being held hostage might not have to spare.

Nodding in determination, Mary Jane got up and ran off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Moonstone's eyes flickered from one monitor to the other, observing not only the words and actions of her test subjects, the people who had been forced to wear her tracking devices after the kidnapping of their family members, but also their physiological reactions. The devices recorded her subjects' pulse, breathing, adrenaline levels, and other physical reactions to their stress. Already the data was being transferred to a separate mainframe, where she could observe it later at her leisure.

"What are you going to do with us?" one of the men yelled at Moonstone as she continued to watch the monitors.

"Kill you, of course," Moonstone replied flatly without looking back. "You've all served your purposes, and in any event you know too much. Don't worry, though," she continued, turning around as her eye-slits began to glow. "It will be very quick, and you won't feel a-"

Moonstone was interrupted by the shattering window and the startled cries of her prisoners, as the spectacular Spider-Woman burst into the room and made a perfect three-point landing in the centre of the floor, her hands glowing brightly as she stared daggers at Moonstone.

"How timely of you, my dear," Moonstone smiled at Spider-Woman. "And obviously resourceful, to be able to track me back to my lair! Might I ask how you did it?"

Spider-Woman didn't reply, except to glance around at the force fields holding Moonstone's prisoners and then firing her electrical sting blasts at Moonstone, who took to the air. The blasts struck the monitoring equipment behind her, shattering it even as Moonstone released a series of powerful golden energy blasts of her own at Spider-Woman. The arachnid heroine managed to dodge around each one before leaping into the air and shooting another webline, dodging around the blasts and firing several more of her own.

In response, Moonstone froze in place and generated a force field of her own around her, which at first shielded her from the blasts but was swiftly neutralized by the blasts' energy. As Spider-Woman geared up for another attack, Moonstone proved to be faster than she expected, firing another energy blast that cut through her webline. As Spider-Woman fell to earth, she began preparing another webline, but once again Moonstone was faster, blasting Spider-Woman with another energy bolt. Stunned from the impact, Spider-Woman landed heavily on one of the force fields holding Moonstone's prisoners and bounced off before crashing heavily on the ground.

Woozy from the impact and struggling to get to her feet, Spider-Woman saw yet another bolt of golden energy streaking towards her, which began shaping itself into a large cube all around her, trapping her in a prison similar to those that Moonstone's victims were still encased in. They called out encouragement to Spider-Woman, frantically telling her to get up. As Spider-Woman looked around frantically, she saw that the cube was now shrinking in size, constricting more and more in on her. Slamming herself against it in an attempt to break out, she found that the force field proved to be harder than iron.

"Let's try another experiment, shall we?" Moonstone smiled. "Shall we see what happens when all the other cages shrink at the same time? Will your superhuman strength keep you from being crushed longer than the rest of these poor wretches?"

"No…NO!" Spider-Woman screamed, as her hands began glowing brightly. There was a blinding flash as her sting blasts shattered the force field, freeing Spider-Woman in an instant before she turned her blasts on the other six fields, vaporizing them one after another. Moonstone flew down to try and stop her, but Spider-Woman only stopped firing her sting blasts long enough to blind her opponent with a glob of webbing to the face. As Moonstone used her energy to burn the webbing off her mask, being immune to her own powers, she regained her sight just in time to be staring at an angry Spider-Woman and six free hostages.

Some of the hostages were running for their cell phones, no doubt intending to call the police. Moonstone fired a stream of energy towards them, but her efforts were deflected by Spider-Woman's own blasts. No longer amused, Moonstone turned her attention to Spider-Woman, but this time the arachnid heroine was faster, catching Moonstone in the arm with a webline and spinning her around until she slammed into a wall.

Wincing in pain as she crashed into the wall and began slumping to the floor, Moonstone realized that there was nothing more to be gained in fighting Spider-Woman. She had the data she needed, and it was already safely stored on her main computer. Concentrating intently, she emanated a bright flash of light that blinded Spider-Woman and the hostages.

By the time they regained their sight, Moonstone was gone.

* * *

Breathing heavily, worn out from the exertions, Spider-Woman sat down on a collection of pallets in the corner. She knew she was probably going to be late for work or late for rehearsal-she couldn't remember which one it was tonight-and she knew that Mr. Llewellyn or Mr. Spencer were going to read her the riot act once again.

All she wanted to do was groan and lie down on the pallets, frustrated by the toll her costumed career seemed to be taking on her life. All this just to spite her father…

Then she became aware of the hostages she had rescued gathering around her.

"Thanks a lot, kid," one man said with a grateful smile. "My son would have been lost without me."

"I know a lot of people hate you hero-types," a woman chimed in, "but they're just too stupid to realize what you do for us. Not everyone can do it, you know."

"You saved our lives," another man said, bowing to Spider-Woman, "and we'll never forget it."

Getting off the pallets with a smile, Spider-Woman suddenly didn't feel so bad anymore.

* * *

Dr. Jefferson typed away diligently as he continued going over the accounts for some of Ravencroft Asylum's latest purchases. He had taken considerable care to balance the budget, skimming off small sums here and there from different parts of the asylum's funding and stashing the money in a secret account that could be used for some of the side projects that the bureaucrats didn't know about. He nodded approvingly at the e-mail from the Tinkerer showing receipt of payment, and saved the encrypted files before closing them and returning to his regular work.

Even as he did this, his mind continued to dwell on that strange spinning that he recalled seeing, although for the life of him he couldn't remember _where _he'd seen it in the first place. Leaning back in his chair in satisfaction, he took a sip of coffee, grimacing at its sour and bitter taste.

He hated the stuff, but for some reason he couldn't get enough of it.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Liz continues to try and find out what has become of Harry Osborn, while Ben and Kitty participate in a strange family meeting. Meanwhile, in the background Jack O' Lantern begins to put the wheels of a sinister plot in motion. As Spider-Woman, Mary Jane finds she has more pressing things to worry about, when she discovers what happened to the mysterious Tarot, and her twisted new ally, the murderous Bookworm! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #20: A Match Made In Hell!)_


	22. A Match Made In Hell

The rain continued to pour down relentlessly, punctuated by the odd flash of lightning or rumble of thunder. The streets were entirely deserted, as the people of New York sought shelter from the violent storm. Nothing was happening and no one was going anywhere, as New York City ground to a halt.

That suited Mary Jane Watson just fine, weary as she was from the demands of attempting to juggle a career as a superhero with her money problems, her grades, her acting career, her responsibilities to her mother, and her evening job at the Empire State Coffee Shop. Today was a day that called for a plain T-shirt, blue jeans and her favorite pair of red Converse high-tops, combined with Taylor Swift and the latest _Twilight _novel.

It was nice to be able, for the first time in several weeks, to really be able to lay back and relax…

…at least until Mary Jane was roused from her pleasant trance by the laughter coming from Kitty's bedroom.

Rolling her eyes with a half-smirk, Mary Jane went back to her reading.

She'd never understand just what it was Kitty found so funny about those stupid reality shows.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #20

"A MATCH MADE IN HELL"

* * *

His eyes narrowing in frustration, Ronald Hilliard checked his inbox for what was probably the sixth time that day.

Nothing.

Ronald just couldn't understand it. He had set this online shrine to Spider-Woman up more than a week ago, and yet she had never bothered to take the time to thank him for it. All this effort, and not one visit, not one e-mail, not one phone call, not even a damn card!

He sighed in frustration, leaning back in his chair as he listened to Eric Clapton's classic song _Layla _on his MP3 player:

_Layla, you've got me on my knees.  
Layla, I'm begging, darling please.  
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind_

_Let's make the best of the situation  
Before I finally go insane.  
Please don't say we'll never find a way  
And tell me all my love's in vain._

Seething in frustration, Ronald stewed in his chair for several minutes as he thought the matter over. There had to be some way to get Spider-Woman to notice him…

As he continued pondering, the music eventually switched to Sting and the Police's _Every Breath You Take: _

_Oh can't you see you belong to me?  
How my poor heart aches with every step you take  
Every move you make and every vow you break  
Every smile you fake  
Every claim you stake, I'll be watching you…_

Then it hit him. Grinning happily, he sat up and started typing away at his computer, knowing how he could get Spider-Woman's attention.

When he met her, she'd just _have _to notice him…

* * *

Mary Jane sat at the Empire State Coffee House after work a few days later, flipping through the _Daily Bugle _while she waited for Randy Robertson to arrive so they could discuss opening night for _A Streetcar Named Desire, _which was set for tomorrow. Already she'd gotten a dose of bad news, reading that Polestar had managed to escape from the Raft along with a few other supervillains. If past experience as a superheroine had taught her anything, she'd almost certainly end up running into Polestar again sooner or later.

She couldn't help but mentally recount them all: Blizzard, the Brothers Grimm, Firebrand, Will O' the Wisp, Tarot, Moonstone, the Constrictor, Boomerang, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and Jack O' Lantern. Aside possibly from Blizzard, Mary Jane had no doubt that any of them would be happy to have her head decorating the wall above their fireplace.

In about six months of superheroing, Mary Jane realized she had already gained a considerable "rogues gallery", to use the popular term that referred to the collection of supervillain enemies that every costumed hero eventually seemed to develop no matter where they lived in the world, whether it was America, Peru, Tajikistan or Angola.

Somehow, Mary Jane wasn't entirely thrilled at the idea, wondering yet again why she was still putting on her red and gold bodysuit when there wasn't any real reason for it.

She hadn't come any closer to a conclusion when she heard her phone ring, and opened it up to answer.

"Hello?" she asked.

_"Yeah, MJ?" _Randy replied on the other end.

"Randy?" Mary Jane said in surprise. "Are you okay? What's the matter?"

_"Yeah, I just got called in to work," _Randy said ruefully. _"I forgot I traded shifts with another guy so I'd be able to make it for opening night. I'm really sorry, but I won't be able to meet you." _

"Oh, that's fine," Mary Jane assured him. "See you tomorrow night," she finished, before hanging up. Ever since classes had finished, she had switched to the day shift, which freed up her evenings for her acting career, her webswinging, and looking after her mother.

Speaking of which, she realized she probably had a few hours to visit her family…

* * *

"So that's how it is?" Mary Jane frowned as she discussed her mother's therapy bills with Aunt Anna after dinner that evening.

"I'm afraid so," Anna sighed. "My insurance only covers immediate family. And Phillip's alimony won't be enough to cover it on its own."

"And we're still coming up short," Mary Jane realized. "I'm so sorry, Aunt Anna-I wish I could do more, but-"

"It's alright, Mary Jane," Aunt Anna assured her. "We'll find a way. Kristy said she can-"

"You and she do more than enough already," Mary Jane scowled in frustration. "I'm not just going to let you-"

"We can take care of it," Anna interrupted. "Mary Jane, you don't need to take this all on yourself-"

"But I'm not doing anything right now!" Mary Jane shot back, as she fought to keep her temper under control. "I mean, Mom's my responsibility!"

"She's _our _responsibility," Anna replied gently. "You do a lot already, Mary Jane-you look after her alimony, you helped Karen Page set everything up with the divorce, and you've always just been there when she needed you."

"That's not good enough," Mary Jane muttered. "Mom's still the one who'll end up paying taxes on the alimony, Dad screwed Page and I with the divorce, and it still doesn't pay for the therapy she needs."

"Mary Jane-" Anna tried to interject.

"It's not enough!" Mary Jane snapped, fire in her eyes. "I mean…I just can't…I just wish there was something else I could do…"

All Anna Watson could do was hug her niece tightly.

* * *

Opening night at the Aristophanes Playhouse was filled with energy as the cast of _A Streetcar Named Desire_ put on their costumes and prepared their makeup. The play's director, Archibald Llewellyn, was all abuzz as he made last-minute checks on the lighting, the props, and the music, before finally calling his performers together for some last-minute words.

"Almost all of you have done exceptionally well in the weeks leading up to this, the moment of truth," Mr. Llewellyn said, "and I have full confidence that we will do justice to Mr. Tennessee Williams. Not only have almost all of us performed well on our individual merits, but almost all of us have bonded as a family."

The cast members, including Mary Jane, all smiled at one another, glad to finally hear some praise from a man many of them had fantasized about strangling over the last several weeks. All their hard work was about to pay off.

"The sole exception, I am afraid, is with Miss Mary Jane Watson," Mr. Llewellyn frowned, turning his head as he looked disapprovingly at Mary Jane. "Not only has Miss Watson's chronic tardiness for rehearsal, when she bothers to attend at all, hindered the overall readiness of the production, it is ever more amply clear that outward physical beauty does not translate into acting talent. I very much regret my previous casting choice, but there is little to be done at this point. With the exception of Miss Watson, I bid you all the best of luck in the coming production!"

The actors just stood there for a moment, looking at each other and then at Mary Jane in surprise. Some of them seemed sympathetic towards her, particularly Randy, while others were more inclined to scowl and mutter, as if they agreed with the director's assessment. No one said anything out loud, though, not wanting to cause any more problems with less than five minutes to go before curtain.

For her part, Mary Jane stood there stiffly, her face reddened in humiliation and anger. A furious, boiling rage welled up inside her, but she forced herself to remain calm, breathing deeply to keep from yelling something she knew she'd probably regret. It was only after Randy tapped her on the shoulder that she reacted.

"Are you…" he began hesitantly, his own mind still reeling with the shock of what he'd just seen.

"Yes, I am," Mary Jane replied with an icy calm.

"What are you…" Randy began.

"…going to do?" Mary Jane asked, as she turned to look at Harry, her voice as cold and hard as before. "I am going to go out there, and I am going to do justice to Mr. Tennessee Williams, as Mr. Llewellyn demanded."

Taking one final breath, she marched to her place as the curtain began to rise.

* * *

The applause had been one thing, but reading the reviews in the next day's edition of the _Daily Bugle _was immensely satisfying for Mary Jane. Most of it dealt with the performance of the leads, the set direction, and everything else in the review, but there were a few lines that caught her attention:

_Arguably the most underrated aspect of this production is Mary Jane Watson in the role of the Strange Woman. Despite it being such a small role, Watson played it with immense pathos and conviction, displaying a seething cauldron of emotion that hints at a deep turmoil and pain within her soul. One can only imagine what the Strange Woman is thinking as she interacts with the rest of the cast, and whether her emotions are genuine, or a mask that hides her true feelings._

Mary Jane laughed about it with Kitty the next day at breakfast before she left for work, telling her all about Mr. Llewellyn's strange temper tantrums and increasingly bizarre demands.

"Archie Llewellyn's weird even by New York theater standards," Kitty shook her head. "At least, that's what everyone else has been telling me."

"Yeah, but what I don't get is why he insulted me right before the curtain rose," Mary Jane shook her head.

"He carries a lot of grudges," Kitty explained, "and he can't stand what he calls the 'beautiful people'."

"'Beautiful people'?" Mary Jane echoed in surprise.

"People he thinks try to become actors based on their looks, rather than their talent," Kitty shrugged. "Apparently it drives him nuts."

Mary Jane only scowled.

"What's wrong?" Kitty asked.

"On the one hand, he's right," Mary Jane muttered. "There _are _too many people who just try to get by on their looks. But on the other hand, that's why other actresses can have such a hard time being taken seriously."

Kitty only frowned in sympathy.

* * *

Harry Osborn looked up in alarm as he heard the key turning in the lock and the door to his apartment open. Charging out of the back room, intending to run for the kitchen to get a knife to protect himself, he was stunned to see Liz Allan walking into the room.

"Liz?" he asked in amazement. "How did you…"

"You had a second key made for me, remember?" Liz replied. "You never asked for it back."

Harry stood there in silence.

"…So what do you want?" he asked, sitting down on the couch and gesturing for her to join him.

"I noticed that a lot of shares in Osborn Industries were recently sold on the stock market," Liz replied. "I got a couple of Business students I know to help me crunch the numbers. These bonds are worth more than five million dollars," she realized.

"So?" Harry rolled his eyes.

"Harry, were you the one who sold all those shares?" she asked in confusion. "I mean, according to what the other students told me, the only person who could own more stock than that was Norman Osborn. There's no way he'd sell his company."

Harry just sat in silence for several minutes, rubbing his temples. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"You really want to know what I've been doing these last few months?" he asked. "About the strange men I've been meeting? Why I've been disappearing? Why I never have any time for you anymore?"

Liz only nodded.

"I've had it with my old man," he spat. "Norman Osborn is a control freak who never lets you forget that he's the one with all the power. That he can make you, or that he can break you. He makes you feel small, he makes you feel worthless. He lets you know that you're a disgrace to the family name. That's what it's like being Norman Osborn's son."

"So, then are you-" Liz tried to reply, before Harry interrupted again.

"That's why I sold my shares in Oscorp," Harry continued, "so I could tell Norman where he could shove his university payments. I want to be my own man, Liz. I don't want anything to do with chemicals, finance, or anything like that. I want to be in film-I want to direct, I want to produce, I want to do whatever I can. If Norman won't let me do that, then I don't need him."

"So that's where you were," Liz realized, "making the arrangements to sell your Oscorp stock."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "and the men I was dealing with were a stockbroker and some investors that I know. They were willing to take the stock off my hands, and give me a good price for it."

"But why all the secrecy?" Liz asked.

"Because Norman would have screwed us all over if he'd found out," Harry explained. "The guys who bought the Oscorp stock will be alright now that they actually have it, but Norman would have found some way to scare them out of the purchase if he'd found out."

"Oh God…" Liz put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Mary Jane was right," Harry said, as he took Liz's hand in his own. "You had to put up with both our crap for way too long. I know I've been treating you like garbage, and I'm really sorry. It's just that…I just couldn't stand living under Norman's thumb any longer, you know? If I hadn't done this, I probably would have ended up killing myself."

Liz didn't say anything, instead just hugging him in response.

"Don't worry about it," she said gently. "The only thing that matters is your being able to live your life."

Harry just smiled back.

"So is it over now?" she asked. "No more secrets or disappearing?"

"None," Harry shook his head firmly. "I'm done with all that. I've got the money, I'm done with Norman, and that's all that matters."

"What about me?" Liz asked, a mischievous grin crossing her face.

"Huh?" Harry asked in surprise.

"You still have me, right?" Liz winked at him.

"And that's another thing Mary Jane was right about," Harry shook his head as he laughed.

Liz blinked in surprise.

"You've got the patience of a saint and the compassion of an angel," Harry explained, as he drew her in for another hug.

* * *

Ben Reilly leaned back in contentment as he finished his slice of birthday cake and put the plate away in the dishwasher. It was his mother's forty-fourth birthday, and just like every party Ben attended with his family, he was having a great time. His cousin Kitty Pryde was in the living room with a number of members of the Levins family, who were Karen Reilly's blood relatives.

Getting up with a happy sigh, Ben retrieved a beer from the refrigerator and sat down to join several of his relatives. His Uncle Steve, Karen's younger brother, was regaling some of the younger Prydes who had come for their Auntie Karen's birthday with another one of his stories about the engineering work he did at Hammer Labs. Steven Mark Levins had always been quite the character, ranging from his muscular physique and rakishly handsome looks to his thick brown hair, and it was no surprise that women half his age still found themselves staring at him whenever he passed them on the street.

"Antigravity technology could mean all sorts of changes for the future," Steve was telling Ben's cousins as he sat down. "Look at all the work Tony Stark is doing with that new solar power technology!"

"So does that mean we're all going to have flying cars in a few years?" one of the Prydes asked humorously.

"Well, that's a few years off yet," Steve shook his head. "Right now, antigravity technology can really only carry one person at a time. It handles like nothing else, though."

"Cool," the young Pryde smiled, as he and his siblings finished their drinks and went back to get some more, leaving Steve and Ben by themselves.

"So," Steve said, turning to Ben, "how'd your exams go?"

"Pretty good," Ben said proudly. "I'll probably be doing some more interning at Bellevue Hospital this summer. How about you? How are things going at Hammer Labs?"

"Same old, same old," Steve replied. "There's always so much to do and so little time..."

"Too bad," Ben shrugged. "So you don't have a girlfriend?"

Steve only laughed.

"I wish," he chuckled. "Not many women work in high-tech engineering, and all the ones that do are spoken for. But how about you? You're the one who's supposed to be chasing the girls…"

"Plenty of dates, but no commitment," Ben shook his head. "There is this one girl I really like, though…"

"Who's that?" Steve asked.

"Mary Jane, the one that Kitty's living with. You met her at my birthday party a few months ago, didn't you?" Ben asked.

Steve thought for a moment, then nodded in realization. He then got a look of horror on his face.

"Wait a minute…isn't she the kid of that Phillip Watson guy?" Steve asked.

"Phillip who?" Ben raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Phillip Watson," Steve spat in disgust. "He was the one who had his wife and sister kidnapped by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Apparently he's been donating a lot of money to the Friends of Humanity."

That got Ben's hackles up. The young man's eyes narrowed as he recalled how Kitty's room at the Empire State University dorm had been destroyed by anti-mutant racists. It had only been after Mary Jane offered to split the rent on a place with Kitty that she had found somewhere else to live.

"Mary Jane's his daughter?" he realized, his look turning slightly sour.

"I'm afraid so," Steve shook his head. "I've got to say, though…I never really liked her."

"What? Why?" Ben asked in confusion.

"She just seemed so…I don't know…snobbish," Steve said after just the right amount of hesitation. "Always looking down her nose at people like Kitty, kindly offering to help them just to prove how good she is. And she never lets you forget just how pretty, rich and perfect she is, always happy to show that she's such a nice person for helping you out."

Ben blinked in surprise.

"I never got that impression from her," he said in confusion. "And Kitty never did either…"

"Trust me, I know the type," Steve sighed. "They make nice, they put on airs, but underneath they're the same arrogant, manipulative jerks that so many other people are. They don't give a damn about anyone but themselves, and just hide their true motives behind a wall of sugar and bullshit."

Ben was about to say something else, but then he was interrupted by the rest of the family gathering to watch his mother open their presents.

Confusion whirled through Ben's mind as he tried to understand what his uncle had told him.

Everything he knew about Mary Jane suggested to him that Steve was wrong, but at the same time he knew his uncle too well to dismiss his claims.

His happiness at seeing his mother enjoy her birthday was genuine, but at the back of his mind the doubts and uncertainty continued to gnaw away at Ben.

* * *

He was only in his mid-forties, but Silvio Manfredi was still referred to as 'Silvermane' for his thick silvery-gray hair. Starting in his early twenties, his thick mane of black hair had rapidly begun graying, to the point where it turned completely silver before his thirtieth birthday. In truth, Manfredi did not mind the nickname, feeling that it sounded refined and elegant, which was how he liked to present himself. A man in Silvermane's position had an important reputation to uphold, after all…unlike the crude Johnny-come-latelies that had come to infect his city like a plague.

With the decline of many of the established New York crime families in the 1980s, a power vacuum had opened in the New York underworld. Many of the surviving gang lords, weary of the violence of the interracial gang wars at the time and wanting to maintain the profit and stability that organized crime offered, eventually banded together in a multiethnic syndicate. Calling itself the Maggia, the new outfit prized profit and stability over stupid and pointless racial strife. New leadership swiftly rose to the top of the syndicate, who saw the way the legitimate wealthy bluebloods of Europe and America lived, and were determined to enjoy the same trappings and prestige.

Many of its members were thus noted for both their exquisite refinement and their enjoyment of highbrow intellectual and artistic pursuits, and their bone-chilling criminal exploits. Unlike other criminal groups, who sometimes had standards in the types of crimes they would commit, the Maggia truly had no compunctions about who they exploited, cheerfully sold everything from drugs to snuff films, and were willing to shoot down as many innocents as necessary in order to kill the people they wanted dead.

Silvermane, head of the of the Maggia, was not particularly disturbed by the fact that the other gangs of New York's criminal underworld were just as violent and depraved as his own. It was a sign of the times, after all-only sentimental idiots actually believed organized crime syndicates gave a damn about anyone but themselves. It was true that some criminal groups had tried to show charity and compassion…which is why over the last decade they had been slowly strangled by the more ruthless and brutal syndicates. The crime world was simply changing to become more bloody, more violent and outgoing, as noted by the phenomenon of the increasingly common and especially dangerous brand of criminal known as the supervillain.

Really, the only thing that bothered Silvermane was how the other crimelords-the French expatriate Philippe Bazin, the flamboyant Crimewave, the psychopathic Green Goblin and the mysterious, never seen Kingpin-were so _crude. _None of them were capable of appreciating the beauty of a painting by Caravaggio, or the sonorous notes of a Chopin symphony, or the heart-stirring works of Dostoyevsky. They insisted on conducting their meetings in stinking warehouses, serving the most debased and low-class of meals, and speaking in an appalling slang that jarred Silvermane's ears.

As he sat in his office one afternoon, working diligently at arranging the latest smuggling routes for the summer shipping season, Silvermane was startled to hear his telephone ring. Answering it with smooth efficiency, Silvermane wasn't very surprised to hear the voice of Phillip Watson on the other end. Phillip's financial acumen had been invaluable in helping the Maggia launder its money, and unlike most legitimate businesspeople Silvermane didn't have to worry about bad public relations from being associated with a known anti-mutant supporter.

"It's so good to see you again, Phillip," Silvermane smiled. "What's the purpose of your call?"

"_We have a problem," _Phillip said grimly on the other end. _"Philippe Bazin has found out about our connections to the hit on Judge Baylor," _he explained, referring to a judge who had been assassinated by Boomerang at the Maggia's request after he'd threatened to go public with the bribes they'd been giving him. Although Moon Knight had managed to capture Boomerang, not even he could prove that it had been anything more than a bank robbery gone bad. That was the classic technique for modern assassinations-instead of making it look like an accident, the hit had to look like the victim perished in the crossfire of a random supervillain attack.

"What?" Silvermane thundered in a rage. "That's impossible! How could Bazin even know?"

"_He apparently found Baylor's bank accounts," _Phillip replied, _"and he did the math." _

"How did you find this out?" Silvermane demanded.

"_I have a friend who works for one of Bazin's front companies," _Phillip explained, _"who passed all the details on to me. How do you want to handle this?" _

"I want copies of those documents," Silvermane said, fury in his voice. "And then I'll see how Bazin reacts when the D.A.'s office gets wind of that child pornography ring that's been bringing him so much money…"

_"Sound good," _Phillip agreed, before he hung up.

Leaning back in his chair, Silvermane grinned, reflecting on how else he could make life hell for Bazin.

If Bazin insisted on upping the ante, the Maggia could play that game too.

**

* * *

**

Entry #5:

**It's quite simple, really-so many of these organized criminal syndicates try to appear ruthless, disciplined and tough, but in truth they're paranoid, fearful and hateful. Behind their façade of being calm and collected businessmen, they're ready to murder each other at the slightest provocation. They're no better than the rest of the self-centered hypocrites out there. They put as much effort into hiding their own dark sides as much as the supposedly "legitimate" people they prey on. **

**Hence why the game I have begun, with Phillip Watson as my proxy, is so deliciously fun. These men frantically seek to destroy one another, wanting to expose each others' secrets while striving to keep their own concealed. They go on a rampage, murdering each other (and any innocents caught in the crossfire, which makes things all the sweeter) for the sake of their power, their money and their images. **

**A false trail here, a properly placed word there, a threat of blackmail in one place, a lie in another. All it needs is a few proper words in the right places, and suddenly it takes on a life of its own, as accusations and suspicions follow one after another and add fuel to a fire that burns ever brighter, consuming more and more victims. **

**And all I need to do is sit back and watch. **

**Phillip Watson had more knowledge of the criminal underworld than anyone suspected, no doubt in connecting many of his well-heeled "legitimate" clients with the syndicates. All this knowledge became mine when I 'persuaded' him to share it with me after being exposed to the mind-control gas from my pumpkin grenade. From there, it was simple-installing devices on Phillip's computer and telephone that will allow me to track his progress, and provide appropriate guidance along the way, while simultaneously concealing and deleting from his telephone and computer records any connection between us. **

**No one will be able to trace this back to me…until the time is right. **

**Of course, many things may not go according to plan. The characters in my little drama may go off-script. Unforeseen circumstances may interfere in ways I could not have anticipated. But that's the beauty, you see-my plan is not in fact so complex and circuitous that it can be defeated by a single unforeseen circumstance. **

**I fully expect many of the protagonists in the coming war to realize they have been deceived. The entire house of cards, built of lies, false accusations and mutual recriminations, will come crashing down at some point. The syndicates will not be destroyed. **

**But when the players in the drama seek to determine how this could have happened, and who was responsible for this, who will they find at the center of it all? **

**Why, Phillip Watson, of course. **

**Ah, Spider-Woman…or, dare I say it, Mary Jane Watson…I didn't forget you in my little play…**

**After all, the syndicates are known full well for their vengeance, and I do not suspect they will restrict themselves to taking vengeance on Phillip alone…**

**They will make your loved ones pay with blood. **

**And if you survive that...I will be coming for you. **

_As I finish typing this entry, I turn in my chair and look at my pumpkin helmet. _

_I begin to laugh. _

_It goes on for hours, insane, maniacal cackling that sounds like it could come from the Devil himself. _

_I like the comparison. _

* * *

The young woman glanced once more through her deck of cards, trying to discern what they were telling her. For some reason, their messages had become obscure in recent weeks, ever since the supervillain invasion of New York City. The woman, who used to call herself Marie-Ange Colbert, had played no part in the invasion, although she had watched with interest. Ever since her encounter with Spider-Woman, who had thwarted her attempts to murder many of her old tormentors, Marie-Ange had opted to remain in hiding.

She was dressed all in classical black robes, with a white hood, cloak, gloves and mask, rarely seeming to wear anything else anymore. Ever since she had taken to living in the abandoned country house, Marie-Ange had been unsure of what her next course of action should be. The young woman used to call herself Marie-Ange, but in truth she preferred the name 'Tarot', derived from her ability to summon and invoke the spirits of the Tarot, commanding them to use their extraordinary abilities. The healing ability of the Temperance spirit, the building ability of the Tower spirit, the feeding and agricultural abilities of the High Priestess, and more were all at her disposal. They had repaired the abandoned country house she now lived in, and allowed her to obtain the food, water and other modern conveniences she needed.

It was also with their help that she had found another young man, starving and near-death. Formerly imprisoned in Ravencroft Asylum, the young man had suffered horrible beatings and torture at the hands of the bullies at his school, before his murderous attempts to take revenge on them. Formerly called Nelson Gruber, but now calling himself the Bookworm, the young man had developed the ability to create magical constructs of anything he read, through his own mystical studies.

The Bookworm's initial attempts at revenge had been thwarted by the mysterious superhero calling himself Sleepwalker, and the Bookworm had been imprisoned at Ravencroft until he had been broken out and mentally enslaved along with many other supervillains by the nightmarish creature called Psyko. Freed from Psyko's malign influence after the monster's defeat by Sleepwalker, the Bookworm had managed to escape New York City and the manhunt searching for him, wandering the countryside until Tarot had found him and nursed him back to health.

The wraithlike Bookworm entered into the room as Tarot continued glancing through her cards. He was painfully thin, even more so than Tarot herself, his dead-white skin seeming as if it would be torn by his bones every time he moved in that jittery manner than reminded Tarot of a marionette. Thin patches of ink-black hair sprouted at random from his otherwise bald skull, even as his eyes gleamed with a murderous dark light, reflecting the demonic power he had inherited.

"Your cards tell you nothing?" the Bookworm demanded as he sat down across from Tarot.

Tarot didn't bother looking up, only scowling as she continued to flick through her cards. For some reason, she felt distinctly uneasy, and on edge.

"The message is obscure, as if there's some kind of fog around it," Tarot narrowed her eyes. "It's…confusing…"

"We are wasting time," the Bookworm sighed in frustration. "Have you become a feminine Hamlet, inclined to hem and haw over the consequences of your rightful course of action, ever delaying and permitting the survival of your enemies?"

Tarot frowned back at him.

"Are you so consumed with the desire for vengeance?" she asked him.

"Are you so inclined to allow your tormentors and betrayers to go unpunished for their wicked deeds?" the Bookworm demanded.

Tarot recoiled as if she had been slapped.

"I-" she began.

"We have been blessed with magical gifts possessed by few other mortals," the Bookworm continued, his voice becoming increasingly manic. "Do you mean to tell me you will simply allow them to go to waste?"

"…I was once told," Tarot said after some moments of thought, "that with great power must come great responsibility."

"Hogwash!" the Bookworm shouted, pounding the table in a rage. "If such is true, why did those who were responsible to _us _not use their powers responsibly? They could have protected us, assisted us, nurtured us! But instead we suffer at the hands of those who beat us, torture us, who make us suffer for their own perverted amusement! Do you mean to allow them to escape unpunished?"

A bitter, angry scowl crossed Tarot's face, as she recalled the stink of cheap alcohol on her mother's breath…her father reduced to working two jobs out of state to pay her medical bills…Felicia Hardy's merciless, catty insults…Mary Jane Watson's pathetic, patronizing attempts to help her…

Any trace of hesitation was gone, as she returned the Bookworm's cold, piercing glare.

"That's the thing, though," she whispered menacingly. "They _won't _go unpunished."

Tears formed in her eyes as she said those words.

* * *

Spider-Woman swung through the evening June sky, patrolling on one of the few nights she'd had to herself in the two weeks since opening night for _A Streetcar Named Desire. _Now that the play had wrapped, Mary Jane finally had some free time, and had resumed her patrols as Spider-Woman. Fortunately, the city had been quiet for the last two weeks, the calm broken only by a few minor incidents that the city's other heroes had taken care of with a minimum of fuss. None of Spider-Woman's own enemies had apparently done anything at all-nothing had been heard from Polestar or Moonstone.

The sun was still high in the sky due to the long days of summer, and so Spider-Woman had been easily able to keep Liz and Harry in sight as she shadowed them. While she was truly happy to see that they'd apparently patched things up, Spider-Woman couldn't shake the notion that something bad would happen to them. She'd met Norman Osborn once when he'd come to her father Phillip's house for a business meeting, and even just thinking about him sent shivers down her spine. Knowing her father, Spider-Woman wouldn't have been at all surprised if the people he associated with would try and take some form of revenge on anyone who crossed them.

Her spider-senses, which allowed her to track anyone upon whom she'd planted her special pheromones, began buzzing urgently as she realized someone she'd marked was in a critical situation. Swinging in for a closer look, she saw another couple approaching Harry and Liz. Their normal clothes suddenly evaporated and were replaced with bizarre seraphic garb, and their hands began glowing. All of a sudden, the man shot a wave of fire from his hands and the woman shot a blast of ice, first stopping Liz and Harry in their tracks and then blocking their paths as they tried to run away.

It didn't take Spider-Woman long to swing down into the park and drop both the man and the woman with sting blasts, before landing on her feet next to Harry and Liz. Quickly smothering the flames with her webbing so Harry and Liz could escape, Spider-Woman turned and began wrapping the bizarre couple that had attacked them with her webbing.

As they struggled to break free, Spider-Woman approached to have another look at them, but was then forced to turn again at Harry and Liz's screaming. To her horror, she saw a group of giant winged monkeys flying down towards them, easily catching the two youths in their strong grip and then flying away with them.

Spider-Woman moved to follow, but she was forced to dodge a fireball thrown at her. The strange couple, the Lovers, had freed themselves from her webbing and were now attacking her again. Cursing her bad luck, Spider-Woman leapt over their blasts and bound them again with her webbing, before striking them with her sting blasts. They instantly vanished as the energy bolts struck, and as Spider-Woman came over to examine them she found nothing but a pile of her webbing.

Her anger began rising again as she realized that she'd probably just learned where Tarot had been all this time. And now, to make matters worse, she was probably allied with the Brothers Grimm, the only people who could make bizarre creatures like those winged monkeys come to life.

She didn't know what interest the Brothers Grimm had in allying with Tarot, and she didn't much care.

What she did know was that she could track Harry and Liz to wherever Tarot was taking them.

She focused on her spider-senses.

* * *

Behind her white mask, Tarot felt pale and sickly as both her own tarot creations and the monstrosities summoned by the Bookworm brought back more and more of the prisoners. While some of this could have been put down to the fact that at least one set of her creations had been thwarted (which was why the Bookworm had insisted that their minions team up in rounding up their hostages), her mind was still consumed with the nightmares she'd seen last night, when she and the Bookworm had slept after consummating their newfound relationship.

In her dreams, she had seen the spirits of her cards, and felt the palpable sense of anger and disappointment from them. Worse yet, she had felt something lurking at the edge of the dream, a sickening _something _that filled her heart with terror. Even now, that same fear lurked at the back of her mind, even as she realized that once again the message of her cards was confused and obscure.

She knew all that, but then she still felt the deep rage that so many of her prisoners stirred in her, and that spurred on her support of the Bookworm. Looking over at her beloved, she saw his eyes glowing brightly as he continued to read the books Tarot had found for him, summoning fantastical creatures to do his bidding. Most of the prisoners had been hypnotized by the Star spirit, and so offered no resistance, although their fear and anger had been palpable when they first came into contact with the Star.

"So now justice will be served," Tarot finally said. "Now, they will understand our pain and our sorrow."

"And our revenge will be all the sweeter," the Bookworm laughed, a sickly grin spreading across his face.

"Our…revenge?" Tarot began.

"But of course, my love," the Bookworm grinned. "Did you yourself not desire vengeance when first you were thwarted by the Spider-Woman?"

Tarot looked down and didn't reply. She could recall how much she'd wanted to destroy Spider-Woman after her first battle with the arachnid heroine, but that desire had faded with time, which was why she'd never tried to seek out or attack Spider-Woman again. She'd seen the Tarot spirits in her dreams, and the strange looks on their faces when she had first fled.

She looked at the Bookworm again, particularly his eyes, which now glowed with a hellish light, and felt a sudden, piercing headache.

Then she saw one of the Bookworm's monsters bringing in Felicia Hardy and Sally Avril, and her rage returned, submerging her headache.

* * *

Spider-Woman's heart sank as she approached towards the country house her spider-senses were telling her Liz and Harry were being held. The entire area was being patrolled by a variety of bizarre creatures, most of which Spider-Woman did not recognize. There was no way she could fight all these things-not only would she be overcome with sheer numbers, but chances are some of the monsters would return and kill the prisoners while she was occupied.

Spider-Woman realized that these abductions, done in broad daylight, would almost certainly attract more attention, possibly other heroes or the police. She thought of waiting for reinforcements…but then realized that she had no idea how long Tarot or the Brothers Grimm would let their prisoners live. It was entirely possible that they'd kill the hostages simply because they felt like it, something Spider-Woman wouldn't put past the Brothers for a second.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Spider-Woman rounded the perimeter of the house. There was some cover in the trees that surrounded the wooded estate, such as where she was currently hiding, although nothing she could really swing from-she'd had to go hopping from roof to roof on top of cars that were driving in the direction she needed to go, once she'd left the city. Still, the trees were thick enough, and after spending some time watching the movements of the monsters, she began to get a good idea of their patterns.

Years of jazz, tap and ballet training had made Spider-Woman agile and light on her feet even without her spider-powers, and she moved without a whisper through the trees towards the back of the house. Slipping in through a back window, she heard the voices coming from upstairs.

Without their leaders, the minions summoned by Tarot and the Brothers were as nothing.

One disturbing thought crossed Spider-Woman's mind as she snuck carefully up the stairs.

Some of the creatures patrolling the grounds outside were monsters like the Cyclops, the Hydra, and Cerberus, creatures she'd recognized from her study of classic Greek plays. Most of them were too large for someone like the Brothers Grimm to conjure, and in any event he'd never been interested in mythology.

Who was she going to be fighting?

Tarot and the Bookworm were caught off guard by the door behind them being smashed open, but only temporarily. They tried to dodge as Spider-Woman came charging in, binding them with her webbing before they could do anything. The three figures stared at each other intently, before a sly grin crossed the Bookworm's face.

"I hadn't expected you to be the first to arrive," the Bookworm chuckled at Spider-Woman, as Tarot stared in hateful silence. "I thought that Sleepwalker would have arrived first. After all, I think he'd be the one to recognize my _modus operandi, _as it were."

Spider-Woman merely stared back at him, but she didn't recognize the young man, so thin and pale he looked more like a ghoul than anything else, dressed in the clothing of a Victorian gentleman, complete with top hat and tails.

"You don't know me?" the Bookworm asked in mock sadness. "Oh dear, what a pity. Nonetheless, I am quite certain my lady love has her own commentary to provide on the matter."

Spider-Woman turned to Tarot.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked Tarot slowly.

"Why do you think?" Tarot demanded, her eyes glittering with hate. "This is justice. Everyone's going to pay for everything they've done to me."

"Justice?" Spider-Woman asked in amazement. "So you're going to murder everyone who ever-"

"Vengeance is a demanding mistress!" the Bookworm shouted gleefully.

"N-no…" Tarot suddenly said, shaking her head as her piercing headache returned. "Justice…it's suppose to be justice…"

"Ah, but the blood will flow! They will know the pain we have suffered at their hands!" the Bookworm sang.

"You suffered this badly?" Spider-Woman demanded. "To the point where you'd kill them?" she pressed, seeing Tarot continue to shake her head.

"Justice…justice…it has to be justice…" she whispered, as she seemed to go into convulsions.

"You can stop this!" Spider-Woman shouted. "Whatever they did, it can't be this bad!"

"Do you honestly think you can stop us?" the Bookworm scoffed. "We have but to give the word, and our prisoners will receive their final punishment!"

Spider-Woman's hands gleamed with her sting blasts.

"Not one word!" the Bookworm howled, his eyes gleaming with black fire.

* * *

Within her mind, Tarot struggled with her rage, the hate she felt for Spider-Woman, for Felicia Hardy, for everyone imprisoned in the basement of her house. Her headache continued to worsen, even as that vague sensation that had so terrified her continued to rise within her mind. She saw her cards, the spirits of the Tarot, who stared at her in anger, sadness and disappointment.

All it would take was a single command, and her cards would destroy her victims.

_Victims?_

But this was justice…

And then she realized the truth.

The magic of the tarot was not evil. It was meant to provide guidance and succor to those in need, those who appreciated its abilities and potential. But the magic wielded by the Bookworm was wrought of hatred, of a desire to inflict pain and horror on those who had done it to him. She felt it pressing on her mind, feeding on her rage. Now she knew why the messages of her cards had become obscure, and why the images of the Tarot had become so angry with her-the Bookworm's demonic magic was interfering with her own. Her tarot creations still obeyed her, but their own magic was becoming warped by the Bookworm's evil influences.

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Spider-Woman rushed to the window in horror as she heard the sound of the fierce battle outside. To her amazement, she saw the supernatural creations summoned by Tarot attacking those of the Bookworm. Whirling around in shock, she saw Tarot staring at the Bookworm in hatred.

"Suffering and misery, that's all you want," she hissed at the ghoul who sat across from her. "This…it…it isn't right…"

The Bookworm was too shocked to will his creations to defend themselves, and by the time he did many of them had already been destroyed.

"You treacherous little…" he spat at Tarot, before Spider-Woman blasted him from behind and knocked him senseless. Looking back outside the window, Spider-Woman saw what was left of the Bookworm's minions fading away with the defeat of their master. She turned back to Tarot, who closed her eyes and dismissed her own minions.

"So, what now?" Spider-Woman asked.

"It doesn't matter," Tarot said sadly. "They can take me away. I have power, and look at what I did with it. I'm no better than he is," she continued, gesturing with her head towards the stunned Bookworm.

"But…you…" Spider-Woman tried to reply.

"I'd have had so much blood on my hands if you hadn't stopped me," Tarot sighed sadly.

Spider-Woman merely sat down next to Tarot, even as she listened to the commotion coming from downstairs as the prisoners were freed from the Star spirit's hypnosis.

"You realized what you were doing was wrong," Spider-Woman comforted Tarot, as she began peeling the webbing off her. "That's as good a start as any."

* * *

Peter Parker smiled widely as he read the letter of acceptance for the internship position at Fireheart Enterprises. For all the ups and downs in his life, even when he wasn't fighting crime as the amazing Spider-Man, it was nice for Peter to finally catch a break. The pay was surprisingly good for a summer internship, something which Peter suspected had been bolstered by the glowing letters of reference his professors had written for him, especially the one by Dr. Curt Connors.

Science, especially chemistry, had always been the defining factor in Peter's life. Long a victim of bullying and torment at the hands of school bullies, science had provided Peter an outlet for his intellect and a refuge from his pain. It had allowed him to set out his path in life, even to a point he never could have imagined.

The bite from that genetically altered spider had changed Peter's life forever. He could still remember the incident as if it was yesterday…

_Most of the students at the Empire State University field trip hadn't had much interest in scientific research. In truth, a lot of it also involved getting the Grades 11 and 12 students out of school for a day so that Midtown High could be prepared for the big Homecoming ceremony next week. One exception was Peter Parker, who was genuinely interested in the work being done to imbue animals with genetic traits from different species. _

_Peter had seen a glass container full of genetically altered spiders, and had picked it up to get a closer look. He was so absorbed in his study that he never saw Flash Thompson sneaking up on him to give him a wedgie. The sheer surprise caused Peter to fling the glass container through the air, before it hit a table and shattered, sending the spiders flying everywhere. _

_As many of the girls screamed in terror and Flash laughed like a hyena, one of the spiders had landed on Peter's hand, biting him as it did so. He reflexively clenched his wrist at the searing pain that resulted from the bite, reflexively looking around for the spider as it fell off his hand. He had already seen another spider bouncing off the back of Mary Jane Watson's neck-_

Peter froze.

_**A genetically altered spider had bounced off the back of Mary Jane's neck. **_

His mind reeled at the thought.

* * *

Mary Jane slumped down on her bed in exhaustion, weary after the long day. While she was sincerely glad and relieved to have been able to stop Tarot and the Bookworm, she hardly felt like celebrating when she realized just how badly her mother needed money. Her money from the play and the coffee shop could hardly be expected to pay that and her other expenses, but there just wasn't any other work Mary Jane could obtain that could give her a lot of money very quickly.

Unless…

…Mary Jane felt her skin crawl as she considered it, but she realized she didn't otherwise have a choice. Roderick Kingsley had given her an open invitation to participate in the modeling shoot for his summer collection, and she'd already seen how well he'd paid for the Red Lavender shoot. Unfortunately, the way Kingsley had always smiled and stared at her made her want to retch.

Even though she felt like she needed a shower for doing it, Mary Jane found herself looking through her wallet for the business card Kingsley had given her, before opening her phone and dialing the number.

She began shuddering involuntarily as Kingsley replied on the other end, although her voice was calm and cordial.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane is forced to take up her modelling work with Roderick Kingsley, even as Ben Reilly begins wrestling with his Uncle Steve's claims about the Watson family. Meanwhile, Jack O' Lantern's malevolent plot continues as the rumblings of a city-wide gang war boils in the background. Spider-Woman finds she has other things to worry about, however, when she's confronted with an electrically-charged psychopath calling himself Supercharger! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #21: Short Circuit!)_


	23. Short Circuit

"Alright ladies, once more from the top!" Roderick Kingsley called out to his models, as they prepared to go around again. "Go slower this time, so the buyers get a really good look! Try and show them every angle!" The skinny, tanned and blond man grinned brightly as he surveyed his girls, while his tall, pale and brown-haired brother Daniel stood behind him impassably. Roderick eagerly watched his models spin and twirl, silently congratulating himself both on the impressive quality of his fall collection and the high quality of the girls he'd gotten to display it.

Mary Jane Watson was one of those girls, wearing a stunning yellow sundress. To no one's surprise, she got the most attention from the cameramen, the technical staff, and the Kingsley Cosmetics investors, to say nothing of Roderick Kingsley himself. Even when she had her back turned, she could feel Kingsley's grin and stare, and couldn't help but imagine his eyes flashing every time she passed him by.

Aside from her lovely attire, Mary Jane's naturally photogenic appearance and her playful, inviting smile made her the hit of the rehearsal. Everyone, even the other models, congratulated her on how well she'd done.

Mary Jane did her best to show gratitude for all the compliments, as she knew that most of the people who gave them were simply wanted to congratulate her.

It was just that, every time she felt Roderick Kingsley leering at her, she had to fight the urge to vomit.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #21

"SHORT CIRCUIT"

* * *

It was with considerable relief that Mary Jane left the studio where the photoshoot was taking place. She waved to Harry and Liz as they pulled up in Harry's car, hopping into the backseat before the car took off again.

"How was the photoshoot?" Harry asked.

"Pretty good," Mary Jane nodded, "except for Kingsley. He just…ugh…" she shuddered, all of a sudden feeling very dirty.

Harry was about to ask what she meant, before Liz touched his arm and briefly shook her head. He wasn't too sure why Mary Jane had wanted this modeling gig, if Roderick Kingsley bothered her so much, but he and Liz had already agreed to respect Mary Jane's privacy.

There was something else he couldn't help but wonder about, though.

"Are you so sure about this?" Harry asked, as he drove the girls towards Riker's Island, New York City's infamous island prison. "I mean, are you sure that Marie-Ange Colbert chick will even let you see her?"

"It can't hurt to ask," Mary Jane shrugged. "I haven't heard about anyone else going to see her?"

"That's probably because she kidnapped just about everyone else she knows," Harry replied acidly, as they pulled into the prison parking lot. "Why do you want to do it?"

"Well…" Mary Jane paused awkwardly as they got out of the car. "I just…I don't know…I mean, no one's ever even tried to reach out to her before! Maybe if I'd actually done something back at Midtown…"

"MJ, you don't need to blame yourself," Liz interjected as they entered into the prison and prepared to sign in at the registration desk for visitation. "People like Felicia and Sally were the ones who bullied Marie-Ange."

"And we didn't do anything about it," Mary Jane shook her head. "I mean, we should at least try, shouldn't we?" she said in a slightly awkward tone.

As Mary Jane went ahead to go through the prison metal detector, Liz and Harry looked at each other, before shrugging in unison.

* * *

Even though it was the smallest size the prison could provide, the orange uniform hung off Marie-Ange Colbert's thin frame like a loose sack. She had remained sitting on her bed since her arrest more than a week previously, blankly staring up at the ceiling and emerging only for mealtimes. Having pleaded guilty at her trial, Marie Ange, alias Tarot, had quietly accepted her fate without comment. She never interacted with her fellow supervillains, finding them to be hateful lunatics who were mostly concerned with hatching some sort of inane revenge scheme against whatever superhero had arrested them.

So it was with a bemused, detached air that she left her cell when she was told she had visitors, curious as to who would want to visit her. When she saw Mary Jane, Harry and Liz waiting to see her, she merely raised an eyebrow as she sat down.

"Never thought I'd see you here, Watson," she said coolly, picking up the receiver and putting it to her ear. "Why _are _you here, anyway?"

"Well," Mary Jane began, trying to keep the awkwardness out of her voice, "we were just worried about you. Ever since…what happened," she said, choosing her words carefully, "we were wondering how you were holding up."

"How do you think?" Marie-Ange replied acidly. "I'm in prison. Multiple kidnapping charges. They agreed to drop the attempted murder charges in exchange for my pleading guilty to the kidnapping. Felicia Hardy and Sally Avril actually started cheering when the judge sentenced me."

"Good lord," Mary Jane said in disgust, as Harry and Liz were similarly revolted. "They went to your trial just to watch you get sentenced?"

"I'm surprised you didn't," Marie-Ange spat. "Isn't that the only time homecoming queens can associate with nerds?"

"I'd never do that!" Mary Jane protested.

Marie-Ange just snorted in response.

"Then the only other reason is to cover your butt," Marie-Ange accused. "You just feel so guilty about the way you let people treat me back in high school, and now you're trying to make yourself feel better. That's the way it's always been-Miss Popularity always trying to show how sweet and kind she is, before moving on to the next good deed?" she sneered.

Mary Jane merely fell silent, unable to respond to Marie-Ange's allegations. The words stung, but Mary Jane knew Marie-Ange was right.

Liz only frowned, feeling much the same way as Mary Jane did and realizing she was probably in the same situation. Harry, on the other hand, marched forward and snatched the receiver out of Mary Jane's situation, pulling her out of the visitor's chair as he sat down in her place. His cheeks flushed angrily as he began to speak.

"Big words coming from a convicted felon," Harry spat in disgust, catching all three women in the conversation off guard.

Marie-Ange only flushed angrily, as Mary Jane stood there dumbfounded and Liz tried to intervene.

"Harry-" Liz tried to intervene.

"Let me finish!" Harry snapped, pushing away the hand Liz put in his shoulder. "You know what? You're right. We do feel guilty about the way we just ignored how you were treated back at Midtown. But at least we're here trying to make up for it. Hell, Mary Jane insisted we come-you could have rotted in here for the rest of your life, for all I care."

"Harry!" Mary Jane tried to interject, as Marie-Ange fell back in her chair and Liz stood in shock.

"What?" Harry rolled his eyes. "We're not the ones who tried to murder everyone who ever pissed them off. God knows there've been times when I've wanted to do it to my old man…"

"I stopped the Bookworm!" Marie-Ange shot back, as her own cheeks started to turn red. "He would have killed all our prisoners if I hadn't fought him!"

"Only because Spider-Woman stopped you first," Harry shot back. "If she hadn't interfered, you would have killed Liz the first time!" he continued, as Liz paled and began to look down at the floor. Some of the other prisoners and their visitors began looking at the conversation, their attention attracted by the argument.

"Harry, that's enough!" Mary Jane finally steeled herself enough to interrupt.

"Hey, she went after you too!" Harry replied. "The only reason you didn't get dragged away with Liz is because you fell out of that freak monster's grip!"

"And you know exactly how she probably feels," Mary Jane stated, not yielding an inch. "Isn't that right?" she asked more gently this time, taking the receiver from Harry. "Frustrated, helpless, angry?"

Marie-Ange's anger dissipated, replaced by a look of deep sadness.

"We've been there, Marie-Ange," Mary Jane continued. "We're still there. That's the real reason we came down today-we know you aren't as bad as the Bookworm. If you were, you'd have killed all those people without thinking twice. We know how it is-we might not have been on the same level as you, but we understand what you're going through."

"And you're right," Mary Jane finished. "We didn't do anything in high school, back when we should have. I just want to say we're sorry..."

Marie-Ange sat in silence for several minutes after this, as the other prisoners and visitors returned to their own conversations. Finally, she picked up the receiver again and spoke so faintly Harry, Liz and Mary Jane all strained their ears to hear the one word she whispered into the receiver.

"Thanks…"

With that, Marie-Ange hung up the phone and stood up. Bowing briefly to her visitors, she nodded to the guard, who led her away and back to her cell.

* * *

"You're absolutely sure about this, Mr. Hilliard?" Dr. Karl Malus asked, raising an eyebrow at the very large check the sixteen-year old boy handed him. "Five million dollars?"

"My entire trust fund," Ronald Hilliard grinned. "So, can you do it?"

"Of course I can," Dr. Malus assured him. "All you'll need is to lay down on this operating table…"

Dr. Malus only smiled to himself as he watched his patient eagerly hop up on the table, a lovesick grin plastered all over the teenager's face. As the Kingpin's top scientist, Dr. Malus had scientific resources that rivaled even the wealthiest corporations, all of which were at his disposal to use as he saw fit.

Originally hired to increase the potency and addictiveness of the drugs the Kingpin sold as part of his criminal empire, Malus had immediately proven his worth by lacing the drugs with chemicals that made them so addictive that the user became physically dependent on them, literally dying if they tried to clean themselves up or purchase drugs from another supplier. The Kingpin had also made use of Malus's original scientific interests, namely the imbuing of humans with abilities found in the animal kingdom, for the creation of superhuman assassins and enforcers. The Scorpion and the Rhino were two of Dr. Malus's creations, a worthwhile investment that had repeatedly paid. For all his successes, Dr. Malus was otherwise allowed free reign of the equipment and supplies the Kingpin had given him, as his experiments had proven to be very useful for the Kingpin on multiple occasions.

More recently, Malus had developed an interest in imbuing humans with other types of abilities, intrigued by the many freak accidents that had occurred over the past decade, which had imbued ordinary humans with a wide variety of bizarre metahuman powers.

As he moved to the control panel that would initiate the procedure, Malus only chuckled.

He'd been hoping for a guinea pig, anyway.

* * *

"I'm home!" Ben Reilly called out as he slammed the door to his parents' house. Taking off his shoes and making his way to the kitchen, he returned his father's greetings as he made a sandwich and sat down at the table.

"That Mary Jane girl called while you were at work," Andrew Reilly told his son as he sat down to join him. "She said she'd really like to see that movie with you…"

Ben brightened immediately.

"Hey, that's great!" he grinned. "Maybe Kitty and I could double-date, if she finds someone to go with."

"Are you really sure about this girl, son?" Andrew frowned.

"I…of course I am," Ben replied, looking at his father strangely. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Andrew shook his head. "I just don't like her, is all."

"…Why?" Ben asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"She's the daughter of that Phillip Watson bastard, for one," Andrew replied. "And from what I've heard, he's been losing a lot of clients recently."

"Dad, you can't possibly be thinking…" Ben trailed off.

"Ben, when I was your age I had to deal with a lot of gold diggers before I met your mother," Andrew said sadly. "You'd be surprised how charming they can be."

"Dad, no, that can't possibly…have you and Mom been talking to Uncle Steve?" Ben asked. "Mary Jane's not like that. She found Kitty a place to stay!"

"Like I said, you'd be surprised," Andrew frowned again. "Some people are experts at hiding what they really are. You think they're good people, but behind it all they're only out for themselves."

Once again, Ben was left to simply think this over in silence.

First his Uncle Steve, and now his parents.

Could he have been wrong about Mary Jane?

* * *

"So that's how it is, huh?" Fancy Dan asked Phillip Watson as they finished discussing laundering some of the Kingpin's assets through legitimate businesses that Phillip had contacts with. Fancy Dan was one of the Kingpin's "Enforcers", the lieutenants who oversaw the day-to-day operations of their boss's criminal syndicate. Fancy Dan was in charge of internal affairs and administration, while Montana looked after the "quiet" operations such as gambling, extortion and drug dealing, and the Ox handled the enforcement side of things.

Dan had dealt with Phillip Watson on a couple of occasions, particularly when he'd acted as a liaison for Norman Osborn, but this was something new altogether. Dan and the Kingpin had both been aware of Phillip's faltering business fortunes after he'd been outed by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as a sponsor of the Friends of Humanity, but this was something new. From everything Dan had heard, Phillip was actively trying to become more involved in criminal financing, aggressively making use of all his previous contacts in the crime world to do so.

Dan had also heard about Phillip's efforts to approach other crime bosses, including Silvermane and Crimewave. Apparently there was a brewing war between Silvermane and Philippe Bazin over Bazin getting hold of some evidence that could seriously harm the Maggia's operations. Bazin, in turn, was threatened by the Maggia encroaching on a number of his territories in retaliation. Bazin and Silvermane had always hated each other, particularly given how Bazin had adamantly refused to combine his operations with those of the Maggia when they'd formed at the end of the '80s.

Although his expression was perfectly calm as he talked things over with Phillip, Dan smelled blood. A war between two factions in the New York crime scene offered tantalizing opportunities for its enemies. Things had been competitive enough between the four major crimelords-Bazin, Silvermane, Crimewave and the Kingpin-before the Green Goblin's arrival, and that costumed lunatic's presence only heightened the stakes.

And then there was the fact that Phillip seemed to be trying to play every side in the debate. Dan didn't quite know what his angle was, or what he hoped to gain from this, but that didn't mean that the Kingpin's syndicate couldn't benefit from exploiting it somehow.

The Kingpin would have the final say, of course, but plans were already starting to form in Dan's mind.

* * *

It had been another long day for Michelle Gonzalez, but she was able to unwind by posting on her new favorite message board, one devoted specifically to discussing hatred of Spider-Woman. Michelle had had two unpleasant encounters with the web-slinging heroine, both of which had left Michelle with a deep dislike of Spider-Woman.

The first had been when Spider-Woman had tried to stop Polestar's robbery of the Russian art exhibit at Empire State University, and Michelle had nearly been killed by the manic way Spider-Woman had been flinging broken debris everywhere in her attempts to beat down the magnetic villain. The second was decidedly more poignant, when her brother Vincent had been taken hostage by the Brothers Grimm, meant to lure Spider-Woman into fighting him again after she'd already sent him to prison. From what she'd seen, Vincent could have been killed if the Brothers had decided to make him and the other hostages hang themselves, all just for revenge on a so-called "heroine" that was just as crazy as the villains she fought.

Of course, she'd also exchanged nasty e-mails with the idiots who actually like Spider-Woman, either because she'd apparently saved their lives or simply because of her good looks. They trolled her anti-superhero message board, and in turn she retaliated by trolling their pro-superhero forums and websites.

It was while typing in her latest screed against Spider-Woman that she heard the popping sounds and explosions. The lights in her bedroom, her computer and monitor, her clock radio, and everything else suddenly began flashing off and on, before sparking and sizzling in a bizarre pattern. Everything in the room seemed to be short-circuiting, and she heard a loud explosion from her living room as the television apparently exploded.

Running into the living room in alarm, Michelle was confronted by the thing that was responsible for the electrical meltdown in her apartment.

His hair was bluish-white, standing on end as if he'd been electrocuted, while his skin was a deeper shade of blue, with a bright streak of red splitting down the middle of his face, his open torso, and across his arms. He wore an open, sleeveless duster that was bluish black in color with matching silver lightning streaks down either side, along with a pair of black shorts and bright punk-rocker boots. His skin had a bizarre metallic sheen to it, accented by the electrical sparks that coursed across it at random.

Perhaps the most unnerving part of him, however, were the wires that crisscrossed his arms, his legs, his torso and all over his body. They were like semi-exposed veins, coursing across his skin before threading back into the flesh of his body, pulsating with a life of their own.

"What…what are…"

"_I noticed you've been insulting Spider-Woman," _the creature rasped at her.

"How…how…" she stammered.

"_You weren't exactly hard to find," _the monstrosity told her, _"with the way you kept flaunting the place you lived in every single rant you posted. All I had to do was look up your address on the Internet. And now, here I am." _

"What…what the hell do you want?" Michelle finally managed to get out.

"_I'm fed up with the way you insult Spider-Woman," _the thing replied. _"She's one of the kindest, most compassionate people on the planet, and look at how you insult her. She risks her life over and over again, and this is the kind of thanks you give her?" _

"Hey, she's just like the rest of those caped freaks!" Michelle shot back, suddenly losing her temper. "They think they're so much better than the rest of us, but they put everybody in danger with their crazy stunts! They spend more time trashing the city than they do saving it! Hell, I almost got killed by that crazy spider-lady!"

"_You're a real ingrate, you know that?" _the electrical thing shot back. _"All Spider-Woman does is give and give and give, and look how she's treated. If you ask me, you don't deserve to be protected by her." _

Michelle looked back at the thing with even more amazement than before, if that was possible.

"Is that the only reason you're here?" she asked incredulously. "To talk shit to me about speaking my mind?"

"_No, I'm here to show Spider-Woman just how much I care," _the creature grinned, as its hands suddenly began glowing brightly.

All the color drained from Michelle's face as she realized what the creature was doing. She tried to run, but she was paralyzed with fear.

"_YOU DON'T DESERVE HER HELP!" _the monster shrieked, as it emanated a nightmarish wave of crackling, sparkling electricity.

Michelle Gonzalez's apartment became an electrical hell of exploding machines, burning furniture, bright blue and gold lightning bolts, and horrified screaming as the apartment's owner was charged with electricity.

The electrical creature laughed hilariously as it watched everything explode and burn out, overwhelmed by the energy supercharging it.

"_Come to think of it, that'll make a great moniker," _the monster noted to itself. _"Supercharger…yeah! Supercharged with love, supercharged with energy!" _

Cackling to himself, Supercharger blew a jagged hole in the wall before flying off, eager to track down the next person who had insulted his lady love.

In his wake, he left the smoking corpse of Michelle Gonzalez.

* * *

It was a beautiful Saturday in June, but the plans Mary Jane had been making to go shopping had been spoiled when both Liz and Kitty had been called into work, and her cousin Kristy had been invited to a sleepover with some of her high school friends. As a result, Mary Jane had been able to get caught up on making the arrangements with Aunt Anna for her mother Maddie to get the counseling she needed. Needing a break from her work, Mary Jane had sat down to watch TV, and possibly catch the _Titanic _rerun that was on the local movie station.

Unfortunately, she'd left the TV on the local news station, where she was treated to the horrifying sight of a murderous electrical storm in downtown Brooklyn. At the center of it was the freakish Supercharger, screaming at the top of his lungs, and the several dead bodies already surrounding him. Mary Jane's blood ran cold as she watched the sickening sight, and when the reporter on the scene tried to mention that Supercharger was calling himself a fan of Spider-Woman it was all she could do to avoid vomiting.

Horror turned to anger as she began changing her costume.

Supercharger felt a wonderful sense of accomplishment as he surveyed the destruction he'd caused. Dr. Malus's treatment had been worth every penny the monster formerly called Ronald Hilliard had paid, with the seemingly limitless electrical power he could not only draw from surrounding electronics, but could even generate on his own if he had to. He particularly loved the new punkish look the surgery had given him, and had decided to dress appropriately, realizing that Spider-Woman was probably the kind of girl who preferred bad boys, anyway.

Now, when she saw everything he'd done for her, Supercharger was confident Spider-Woman would recognize and reward him.

It was when he heard the siren call that he turned around, a wide grin on his face. Spider-Woman landed on the other side of the square, looking around in amazement at the carnage he'd wrought.

"You're finally here!" he called out to Spider-Woman, who stopped and stared at him. "You don't know how long I've waited for this moment!"

"Wh…what are you doing here?" Spider-Woman asked, her voice sick with horror.

_"Well…I punished everyone who's been saying bad things about you," _Supercharger said innocently, slightly confused by Spider-Woman's tone. _"These ungrateful bastards didn't deserve your help!"_

"Didn't deserve…? What the hell's the matter with you?" she shouted in disgust. "They're innocent people! You can't just-"

"But…I did this for you!" Supercharger replied, hurt by the expression on Spider-Woman's face. _"I just wanted to show I care about you!"_

"Care about me?" Spider-Woman asked incredulously. "This…this is sick! _You're _sick!" she exclaimed, spraying her webbing at him and ensnaring Supercharger, who stood there in blank amazement.

"But…I…I love you!" he finally exclaimed.

"Yeah?" Spider-Woman shot back, "well, I can sure do without the 'love' of a sick freak like you!" she exclaimed, as she pulled Supercharger off his feet.

Supercharger was vaguely aware of some of the things Spider-Woman was saying as the police came in to arrest him, but at the moment his mind was echoing with his words.

_"After everything I did for you…"_ he mumbled, as Spider-Woman and the police froze.

_"AFTER EVERYTHING I DID FOR YOU, THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?" _Supercharger shrieked at the top of his lungs, as he began glowing brightly. Instinctively, the police officers ran for cover as Supercharger began emitting another frightening electrical storm, causing electrical devices all around him to overload and short circuit in a cacophony of sparks and explosions. Spider-Woman jumped back in alarm as Supercharger rose to his feet, glowing with bluish-white energy.

_"I cared for you," _he spat, his eyes glowing white with power. _"I cared for you, I did everything for you, I never asked for anything in return, and all you do is spit on me!" _Almost out of his mind with humiliation and rage, Supercharger tossed a flurry of electrical bolts at Spider-Woman, who dodged frantically as she tried to avoid being flash-fried. All around her the few people who were still there ran away screaming in fear, but Supercharger ignored them all, his efforts focused solely on Spider-Woman.

Spider-Woman's sting blasts were simply absorbed by the berserk Supercharger, and her webbing was blasted away by his electricity. All she could do was leap and dodge his blasts, until she mistimed her leap over one and was caught by another blast full on and sent flying. Crashing heavily into the wall of a building on the other side of the square, she slumped to the ground and forced herself to her feet.

Supercharger came flying at her, screaming at the top of his lungs. Thinking quickly, Spider-Woman shot a blast of webbing at him as he closed in, catching him in the face and blinding him before springing out of the way. Caught off guard by the webbing, Supercharger lost his concentration as he began trying to burn the webbing off, before slamming head-on into the wall. Dizzied from the collision, Supercharger stood up and then stumbled again as he tried to get his bearings. Spider-Woman quickly tagged him with a webline and then whipped him around again, slamming him into the ground before he could fully recover.

Getting to his feet faster than Spider-Woman expected, Supercharger used the webline to determine where she was standing and blasted her with another energy bolt, which knocked her off her feet and flat on her back. Forcing herself to sit up as she heard Supercharger stomping towards her, she fired a double sting blast that knocked him off his feet, unable to react to them in time. Spraying him with webbing, Spider-Woman reeled Supercharger in and began hitting him with a rapid flurry of punches and kicks, too quickly for the electric monstrosity to charge his energy to defend himself.

One final punch stunned Supercharger and left him out cold as Spider-Woman wrapped him in a double layer of webbing for the police. Breathing heavily, aching all over from her electrical burns, Spider-Woman staggered over to a large pile of broken debris and sat on it to rest.

All around her she heard cheers and catcalls, some of the bystanders thanking her for her efforts to save them, and others cursing her for being the reason Supercharger had gone on his rampage. Arguments broke out in the crowd between her supporters and her detractors, both of whom continued to call out to her.

Feeling extremely guilty, closing her eyes in shame, Spider-Woman couldn't bring herself to support either group. All she could do was take to the air and webswing out of sight.

Both groups were right, after all.

* * *

When Supercharger regained consciousness, he was in a special police holding cell with power-restraining manacles around his wrists. He ignored the police officers, the ordinary criminals, and even the other supervillains who tried to speak to him. All he did was just sit there, his eyes occasionally glowing white with electricity.

In his mind, he was dwelling on his betrayal at Spider-Woman's hands.

All he could feel was grief, rage and hate.

Pure, complete and total hate for the woman he had once loved, but who had so cruelly broken his heart.

If he could not have her despite all his devotion and sacrifice, then by all rights no one could have her.

No one.

(_**Next Issue:**_ As Maddie Watson begins to undergo some therapy, Mary Jane continues her work for Roderick Kingsley to pay for it, but she has to put up with Kingsley's increasingly discomforting attention. Finally, exhausted from work and stress, Mary Jane takes a much-needed vacation at Fire Island with her friends. But even here, however, the Spider-Woman finds that she can't rest when Polestar launches a deadly attack on the beachgoers! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #22: A Magnetic Personality!)_


	24. A Magnetic Personality

Jason Phillip Macendale eagerly opened his cell phone at the sound of the ring, smiling widely as he heard Fancy Dan's voice on the other end.

"What's the scenario?" Macendale asked Dan.

_"The Kingpin's decided," _Fancy Dan, the Kingpin's main underboss in charge of internal affairs and administration in his boss's criminal syndicate, _"and we're ready to get the police in on this." _

"We're going after the Maggia?" Macendale asked.

_"That's right," _Fancy Dan replied with an evil chuckle. _"They'll be hard-pressed as it is fighting Bazin…just imagine how much worse it'll be when the New York Police Department goes after them?" _

"Okay, I see where you're going with this," Macendale nodded, "but how are we going to get the NYPD after the Maggia? I'm on the Superhuman Activities squad, not Organized Crime!"

_"You're going to be getting a tip from that Phillip Watson guy about what he thinks is a safehouse for the Acolytes of Magneto," _Fancy Dan explained. _"However, when you raid the safehouse you're going to find that it's actually a Maggia base, and you're going to find some dirt on the Maggia's money laundering schemes in the Midwest. After that, being the honest and upstanding enforcer of the law that you are, you're going to turn that information over to the Organized Crime unit." _

"This, of course, gives the police extra motivation and leverage to go after the Maggia," Macendale laughed, "and none of it can be traced back to the Kingpin."

_"You said it, not me," _Fancy Dan replied smoothly.

"How'd Phillip find out about this?" Macendale asked.

_"We just alluded to how the Maggia is laundering money and smuggling supplies for the muties," _Dan laughed. _"That wound him up real bad. The Kingpin knew full well that Phillip would go straight to the cops with that information. I gave him your number." _

"Sucker," Macendale laughed as he hung up.

With a wide grin on his face, Macendale returned to watch _Pumpkinhead, _one of his favorite movies. He knew that Dan wasn't telling him the whole story, of course-he'd heard from some of his contacts in the Organized Crime squad that the flamboyant Crimewave was planning to take advantage of Bazin's being distracted by the war with the Maggia to try and expand into Bazin's territory in New Jersey. Bazin and the Maggia would both be fighting on two fronts...and who knew what the Green Goblin, who'd been a wildcard ever since he came on the scene three years ago, would do in this situation?

The New York mob scene was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Macendale was loving every minute of it.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #22

"A MAGNETIC PERSONALITY"

* * *

"That should just about cover it," Mary Jane Watson told her Aunt Anna as she handed over the cheque. "Let me know if there's anything else, okay?"

"Actually, there is something else," Anna Watson replied, grabbing her niece by the arm as she turned to leave. "Are you doing anything for vacation?"

"…What?" Mary Jane asked in surprise. "No, I've got a lot to deal with right now," she shook her head.

"Like what?" Anna asked with a half-frown. "Rent, your job at the coffee shop, figuring out your classes for next semester, getting some more help for Maddie, trying to find more acting work, and trying to decide whether you're interested in Randy or Ben, right?"

"More or less, yeah," Mary Jane sighed with a resigned smile, not mentioning that she was also trying to put up with Roderick Kingsley's lecherous stares and looking after Harry as Spider-Woman, in between stressing about whatever Polestar, Moonstone and Jack O' Lantern were probably scheming.

"You need a break," Anna said seriously, pulling Mary Jane back to sit down on the couch. "You're going to burn out if you keep up like this."

"No, I won't," Mary Jane insisted. "And I can't just drop everything and leave. I have responsibilities."

"Mary Jane…sweetie…" Aunt Anna said sadly. "You have responsibilities to yourself, too. Have you looked at yourself lately? I can see how stressed out you are. You're pushing yourself way too hard."

"Yeah, but I've got to," Mary Jane replied stubbornly. "I'm the only one who can do it…"

"Your father said the same thing twenty years ago," Anna said, looking down and shaking her head.

"My…what?" Mary Jane asked.

"Phillip's always driven himself so hard," Anna explained. "Never letting himself unwind, never taking any time to rest. He always took everything so far, and let the stress get to him. That's when he started drinking."

Mary Jane paled, knowing better than anyone what Phillip Watson's drinking had led to.

"But…that won't happen," she tried to insist, although it sounded hollow when she considered how violent she'd been when she'd first started out as Spider-Woman.

"That's always been a problem with us Watsons," Anna smiled sadly. "We take things way too far, and we let our emotions run away with us. Passion's a wonderful thing, Mary Jane…but you can't take it too far. I don't want to see the same thing happen to you."

Mary Jane hadn't thought of it that way. At first, she wanted to tell Anna that she was wrong, but remembering how she'd used to act as Spider-Woman, as well as other instances such as when she'd nearly attacked Harry Osborn, she knew Anna was right.

"I won't let it happen, Aunt Anna," Mary Jane smiled. "I just feel bad leaving Mom hanging, you know?"

"Don't worry about it," Anna assured her. "We'll take good care of her. Besides, you've already gotten the money she needs from the modeling work you did with that Roderick Kingsley guy."

"Yeah…and Aunt Anna?" Mary Jane asked.

"Thanks," she smiled, more broadly this time.

"Always," Anna assured her.

* * *

Getting Mr. Spencer, her boss at the Empire State Coffee Shop, to let her take a week off had been a lot easier than she'd expected. Mary Jane realized that, with all the extra hours she'd been putting in now that school was out for the summer, she'd probably already built up a substantial number of extra hours. That, in turn, was probably the reason she needed a vacation.

Returning home and sitting down to check her e-mail, her eyes lit up as she got a message from Liz:

_Hey MJ,_

_Harry and I are going next week to Fire Island for some R&R to celebrate our getting back together. We want to know if you'd be interested in coming. Kitty's already decided to join us, and she said she'd be bringing her new boyfriend, too. Can you believe it? She actually hooked up with Kong! _

Mary Jane tried and failed to stifle a giggle at the thought of the giant Bruce McFarlane, called "Kong" for his massive size and hairy face and arms, getting together with the diminutive Kitty Pryde. It was a good thing that Kitty wasn't home, or Mary Jane would have had a fairly awkward time explaining why she was laughing. As she calmed down, she resumed reading the e-mail:

_Harry says he'd have room for you and one more person. Who's going to be the lucky man? Randy, Ben, or somebody else? _

That was a good question. Mary Jane honestly wasn't sure if there was anything between Randy and her anymore, especially after how badly he'd taken it after she'd gone out with Ben. She still wondered what had happened to Randy to make him react the way he did, but she hadn't the faintest idea. As for Ben, she'd had a wonderful time at the dinner at the Plaza Hotel (before it had been spoiled by Jack O' Lantern, anyway), and they'd gone out a few more times, although lately he'd seemed more distant.

The rest of the e-mail was simply Liz asking Mary Jane to write back and let her know if she wanted to come on the trip.

Mary Jane had every intention of doing so, but first she had some calls to make.

* * *

Andrew Reilly picked up the phone as it rang, raising an eyebrow as he saw that the call came from Kitty's apartment. Eagerly smiling as he answered the phone, he soon got a distinctly sour look on his face as he heard the voice on the other end.

_"Hi, is this the Reilly residence?" _Mary Jane asked.

"Yes, it is," Andrew replied, as he was once again reminded of Mary Jane's hypocrisy, arrogantly looking down on everyone she knew while pretending to be all sweet and nice, before moving on the Next Good Deed once she'd gotten everything she'd wanted from whoever it was she was manipulating.

_"Ben isn't answering his cell phone," _Mary Jane continued, as if she was just wanting to get in touch with him. _"Is he tied up with something right now?" _

"Ben's going to be pretty busy over the next week," Andrew replied brusquely. "He's been called in to work at Bellevue Hospital to help with a staffing crunch, and he'll probably be tied up for quite a while."

_"Oh, that's too bad," _Mary Jane replied, trying to sound as if she was only disappointed at not being able to get in touch with Ben, although Andrew knew that in truth she was only unhappy at not getting her hooks into him. _"I was hoping to see if he could go on a vacation to Fire Island with me, Kitty and some of our friends." _

"That's not going to happen, Miss Watson," Andrew said stiffly. "And now, I have to go. Goodbye," he finished, hanging up before Mary Jane had a chance to reply.

* * *

Mary Jane was more than a little startled by the frigid tone Ben's father had adopted. She felt kind of bad, thinking she must have caught him at a bad time. Having no luck with Ben, she decided to try Randy.

* * *

"Hello?" Randy Robertson asked in a slightly bored tone, having been singularly disappointed with the book he was reading.

_"Hey, Randy!" _Mary Jane's voice replied on the phone. _"How are you doing?" _

"…Mary Jane?" he asked in surprise. "How's it going?"

_"Pretty good," _she answered. _"What are you doing next week?" _

"I've got a lot going on, actually," he replied. "I'm going to be visiting my grandparents out in Massachusetts. How about you?"

_"Harry's taking some of us to Fire Island to celebrate his getting back together with Liz," _Mary Jane explained. _"He said he had room for one more, so I was wondering if you'd like to join us." _

Randy paused for a moment, thinking this over. He remembered hearing about how Mary Jane had gone out with Ben Reilly to the Plaza Hotel, and he frowned.

"No, it's probably not going to work out," he shook his head. "I really appreciate it, but we have an annual family reunion towards the end of June. It's a really big tradition in my family."

_"No problem, I understand," _Mary Jane assured him. _"What have you got going when you come back?" _

"They're casting for a summer production of _The Wiz,_" Randy said eagerly.

_"That's great!" _Mary Jane said brightly. _"What role are you going for?" _

"The Scarecrow," Randy replied. "It was Michael Jackson's role, after all."

_"Michael Jackson?" _Mary Jane asked in surprise. _"Oh, right…he played the Scarecrow in that '70s film version, didn't he?" _

"That's right," Randy grinned. "You saw the movie?"

_"Yeah, it was alright," _Mary Jane replied. _"I can't remember too much about it, though…" _

"A lot of the musical's songs were cut from the movie," Randy explained. "This version is going to try and integrate some of the movie scenes, though."

_"Well, good luck!" _Mary Jane encouraged him. _"I know you'll knock them dead!" _

When Mary Jane had first called, Randy had felt slightly raw over the fact that she'd apparently started going out with Ben. Now he realized that they were apparently not an item, and a stray idea crept into his mind.

"Why don't you try out with me?" he asked her.

_"Me?" _Mary Jane asked in surprise. _"I thought it was meant to have an all-black cast." _

"A lot of productions do that, but there are colorblind versions too," Randy explained. "All you need is rhythm. You don't have anything to worry about-if anything, you're proof that white people really _can _dance!" he laughed.

_"I guess I could give it a shot," _Mary Jane agreed. _"Thanks for telling me about it!" _

"Thanks for inviting me," Randy replied. "Too bad I couldn't join you."

_"No problem," _Mary Jane assured him. _"I should probably let you go, then. See you around!" _she finished, before she hung up.

Randy picked up his book and began reading again, this time with a smile on his face.

* * *

Mary Jane sighed in frustration as she hung up, mentally trying to recount all the boys she knew and whether she could take any of them on short notice. Somehow she doubted that any of them would be able to drop everything to go with her, however much they would have enjoyed doing so.

Mary Jane realized she'd probably have to go stag…but who said that had to be a problem? She remembered how things used to be in high school, with the guys drooling whenever she passed by, always taking care to look available but be ultimately unobtainable. Dating every one of them a couple of times, never committing to any of them. It had been a good way to keep any of them from getting too close.

Now, though, things were different. She knew she'd still be getting the attention she always did, but there wasn't any reason she couldn't genuinely get to know and befriend the guys. Thinking back over the last several months, Mary Jane honestly wondered if she could or would have been willing to go with Liz on the others on their trip before she'd begun putting on her Spider-Woman costume.

She looked down at the tote bag that held her costume.

A smile came to her face, despite all the headaches putting it on had otherwise brought her.

* * *

It was neither wholly human or wholly machine, but some twisted combination of both. The suit of silvery-gray armor that made up its body had a blood red torso, thighs and elbows, marked all over with cracks and holes through which protruded flesh and bone. Glowing with blue magnetic energy, the creature calling himself Polestar had once been a man, a loser named Thomas Duffy, before a disastrous laboratory accident had resulted in his becoming fused with the magnetic suit of armor he was wearing.

_You're pathetic, Tom-Chucky made first string running back! And you're telling me you couldn't even catch a single damn pass? Honestly, did you even follow that regimen I gave you? Yeah, well I guess you just didn't do it well enough! _

Now, with amazing magnetic powers, Polestar had become a costumed criminal, until he was defeated by the costumed heroine known as Spider-Woman. Incarcerated in the Vault on Ryker's Island, Polestar had been one of the many supervillains enslaved by the demonic mass murderer called Psyko, set to run amuck in New York City before Psyko had been defeated and Polestar had been freed from his mental domination.

_Oh, Thomas, Katie got the scholarship! How did you do? Oh…don't even talk to me! You're such a disappointment, you know that? Oh, you worked really hard? Well, I still don't see a scholarship with your name on it. _

Since that time, Polestar had laid low, only occasionally robbing bakeries and food shops to feed himself. He had been waiting for things to calm down in New York, and for people to begin travelling on vacation. That way, when he made the shit hit the fan, it would _**really **_hit the fan.

_I'm sorry, Mr. Duffy. You're just not quite what we're looking for. Your skills are good, but we're hoping to get someone with a little more experience, is all. _

Fire Island was a nice, public place.

_I don't know why I ever married you, Tom. You're a pathetic loser, you haven't gotten a raise in fifteen years, and you're still driving the same piece of junk you bought in high school. Don't give me any of that crap, Tom! You make less money than our goddamn TV repair man!_

He'd heard about how MTV was planning to film some sort of big beach gala there.

_You've always been second-rate, Tom. Doesn't matter what you do, or how hard you try. I'm still going to be better than you. Katie's smarter than you, I'm stronger than you. What the hell did you ever do for this family, anyway? _

It was going to be glorious.

* * *

Although it wasn't as large as the beaches of California or Florida, Fire Island still had a rich, glamorous history as part of the American beach and surfing culture. The place had everything vacationing youths could ask for-sun, sand, surfing, and sexy young people in revealing bathing suits.

As with the high-class social functions at places like the Plaza Hotel, Mary Jane fit right in. Ironically, she found she was able to open up a lot more easily when she didn't really know the people and they didn't really know her. She'd thoroughly enjoyed herself on the ferry from the mainland, chatting away with several other people while Kitty and Kong made out on another part of the ship, Liz read a novel and Harry got caught up on some e-mails.

It hadn't taken Mary Jane and her friends long to unpack in their lodgings before they headed down to the beach to relax. Whether it was Kitty in her sky blue two-piece, Liz in her green and purple tankini, or Mary Jane's deep blue and sun gold string bikini, the girls gave Kong and Harry another reason to feel incredibly lucky and incredibly proud, and gave the other men on the beach another reason to love coming to Fire Island.

Kitty and Kong got caught up in a game of volleyball while Liz and Harry continued working on their novels, leaving Mary Jane to lean back and truly relax for the first time in a couple of weeks. She not only basked in the sun, but also in the approving stares of many of the boys on the beach and the jealousy of many of the other girls. Mary Jane only chuckled at the notion and pushed her sunglasses farther up on her nose, before closing her eyes to get some sleep.

All day long, Mary Jane felt a wonderful sense of relaxation, relieved at being able to leave all her problems behind. She gave a playful smile to the men who wolf-whistled as she passed them by, joined in dancing to the reggae music brought by another group of beachgoers, and enjoyed the picnic lunch Kitty had put together from food she'd bought at some of the local co-op stores.

As they sat eating in the shade, Liz brought up a topic she, Mary Jane and Harry had been meaning to ask for a while.

"So how did you two hook up?" she asked Kong and Kitty, who looked at each in slight embarrassment.

"To tell the truth," Kong said, "we just kind of clicked, you know?"

"Well, that wasn't all there was to it," Kitty added, to which Kong kind of frowned.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"My mom and dad have always meant a lot to me," Kong replied with some hesitation, before Kitty patted his hand and nodded.

"It's okay," she assured him.

"What I mean is, after my mom was abducted by that crazy Moonstone bitch, I nearly lost it. Even after Spider-Woman rescued her, I still had a hard time getting over it. I ran into Kitty, she invited me out for coffee, and…well…things just went from there."

"So is your mom alright now?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, she and Dad are doing great," Kong smiled. "I really owe Spider-Woman, though. She came through when we needed her the most."

"You're telling me," Liz replied. "She saved me when I got kidnapped by the Brothers Grimm, again when I got kidnapped by Tarot, and _again _when Firebrand came after me," she shuddered.

Kong and Liz didn't realize it, but hearing their words made Mary Jane happier than she'd been a in a long, long time.

* * *

Night brought a bonfire, a DJ playing Caribbean rock, and vendors selling tequila and rum. Even as her friends came and went, Mary Jane kept up the dance, surrounded by admiring beachgoers. In the heat of the flames, Mary Jane was the sun the boys' worlds revolved around, lighting up the night with a passion all her own. The people surrounding her became so caught up in the dance that, even when she grew tired and went to get something to drink, her fellow beachgoers barely even noticed.

Breathing heavily from her exertions, Mary Jane got a drink of ice water that she gratefully downed on the spot, before paying for another one and stepping aside to relax. Liz and Harry had already gone to bed, while Kitty and Kong had gone for a moonlit stroll on their own. As she sat down to join a group of random partiers, Mary Jane yawned, thinking she should probably be getting to bed herself.

"You're amazing, you know that?" she heard a deep voice say as its owner pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. He was a tall, tanned man with reddish brown hair, a well-defined physique, and strangely bright blue eyes. Mary Jane found herself running her eyes approvingly over the muscles on his arms and his chest, to which the man only grinned in reply.

"You like what you see?" the man grinned.

"I certainly do," Mary Jane said wryly with a half-grin of her own. "What's your name?"

"Mark Raxton," the man replied. "What's yours?"

"Mary Jane Watson," Mary Jane replied. "Is this your first time on Fire Island?"

"Yeah, it is," he replied. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Very," Mark nodded. "It's so nice to get a break from all the crap going on in the city."

"You're a New Yorker too?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "I go to Empire State-I'll be a junior this fall."

"What do you study?" Mary Jane asked.

"Business," Mark replied. "How about you?"

"Drama," Mary Jane replied. "I'll be a sophomore-I actually go to ESU too."

"Most ESU kids actually go this time of year," Mark noted. "Most of the Metropolitan students don't come until after July. You come here all by yourself?"

"With my girlfriends and their dates," Mary Jane shook her head. "I had to go stag, though-the guys I invited couldn't make it."

"Hey, it's their loss," Mark grinned. "Would you like me to buy you a drink?"

"Sure," Mary Jane nodded with a smile. After Mark had purchased her a Pina Colada, they moved to an empty booth where they could sit by themselves.

"So who did you come with?" Mary Jane asked Mark.

"Just some guys from my fraternity," Mark answered. "Typical bunch of college boys up to no good," he joked.

"And you don't have a date?" Mary Jane said in surprise.

"Hey, I could ask you the same thing," Mark teased. "One of the cutest girls on the whole beach, and you came stag?"

"Well…" Mary Jane hesitated. "I tried to invite a couple of guys I know, but they weren't able to come."

"Yeah, but even beyond that, I'm surprised you're still single," Mark blinked.

Mary Jane seemed to frown and look down at the table.

"Work and school take up pretty much all my time," she replied in some embarrassment. "I mean, I hang out with my friends a lot, but I've only been dating a couple of guys since then."

Mark paused, his drink raised halfway to his lips.

"Really?"

Mary Jane merely shrugged, now more than a little uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's no big deal," Mark reassured her. "I'm just kind of surprised, what with how well you seemed to fit in with everyone."

"That's different," Mary Jane replied with a half-smile. "I don't mind just hanging with people, making friends, you know?"

"Well, yeah…" Mark nodded. "But you seem really nice-I'm surprised more guys haven't asked you out."

"That probably has to do with the fact that I've been known to be a real four-star bitch at times," Mary Jane said ruefully.

"Sure doesn't seem that way from where I'm sitting," Mark raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, though-you lit up the beach the way you led the dance tonight. You should give yourself more of a chance."

Mary Jane only smiled briefly, as Mark finished his drink and yawned.

"Oh man, I'm beat. I'm pretty much done for the night," he said as he rose to leave.

"Me too," Mary Jane chimed in as she stood up, slightly wobbly from fatigue and alcohol.

As she made her way back to the rooms she and her friends had rented, Mary Jane found herself thinking more and more about what Mark had told her.

* * *

The next morning was much the same as yesterday, except that MTV was hosting some sort of beach party special. Mary Jane and her friends had initially wanted to see what was going on, but Kong had overslept and so they arrived later than most of the beachgoers, and were forced to take a spot closer to the far end of the beach. Not that anyone besides Mary Jane really cared-Liz and Harry were just as happy with being ignored, while Kitty and Kong were more interested in going swimming.

Intrigued by the TV coverage, Mary Jane went over to try and get a better look. There was apparently some celebrity speaking into the camera, although she couldn't really see who it was. Then again, it didn't seem particularly interesting, anyway-most of the kids were mugging for the camera while the host was saying the same stuff all the MTV-types repeated whenever they did these types of shows.

Mary Jane quickly grew bored at the spectacle, which was why she was as shocked as anyone else when the broadcasting equipment suddenly began sparking to life, twisting and dancing as if they were possessed. Several beachgoers were startled, milling about in confusion, running and bumping into each other as some of them began screaming.

Blinded by the chaos, Mary Jane couldn't see what was going on at first before the source of the mayhem rose into the air above her. The flashing, electrical monstrosity that was Polestar concentrated intently, causing the metal of the deck chairs and electronics many of the beachgoers were using to explode into deadly shrapnel, cutting into their owners and causing the beach to run red with blood. Terrified screams replaced joyful cheers as the scene erupted into mayhem. Panicked teenagers ran in every direction, tripping and crashing over each other as Polestar blasted some of them at random with electrical bolts and trapped others in cages of warped steel and metal.

Sickened with horror, Mary Jane turned and ran as fast as she could for the buildings at the far end of the beach, looking around desperately for a place where she could get out of sight.

Despite how loath she'd been to do it at the time, Mary Jane was now extremely glad that she'd listened to her intuition and brought her tote bag with her.

* * *

"What the hell do you want?" one of Polestar's prisoners, trapped in a steel cage formed from broken railings and pieces of metal, screamed up at him.

_"Want?" _Polestar scoffed in a discordant, electrically scrambled voice. _"A captive audience, that's what! And I-" _

The electrical sting blast caught Polestar completely by surprise, knocking him out of the sky and crashing down to the ground. He was up on his feet in an instant, whirling around to see who had attacked him. What passed for a wide grin crossed his face when he saw the red-and-gold figure of the spectacular Spider-Woman advancing on him.

_"Fancy meeting you here, of all people!" _Polestar laughed triumphantly. _"This'll just make the whole thing even better!" _he chuckled, sending a shard of metal barbs flying in every direction, including at Spider-Woman.

Spraying her webbing in every direction to try and catch as many barbs as she could before they hit the beachgoers, Spider-Woman couldn't avoid being cut all over by the barbs Polestar had aimed specifically at her. Gritting her teeth in pain, she lunged at Polestar, ducking under the electrical bolt he fired at her. Unfortunately, Polestar was too fast for her to catch, flying into the air and then ripping a pair of large metal bars from the TV soundstage and sending them flying at Spider-Woman. The arachnid heroine dodged frantically, rolling under the bars and firing her sting blasts in retaliation. Polestar merely grinned and concentrated, generating a force field that absorbed her blasts and harmlessly neutralized them. He then gestured, pulling one of the metal bars he had thrown back in his direction until it smashed into Spider-Woman, who stood between them.

Stunned from the blow, Spider-Woman was initially helpless to react as Polestar wrapped the metal around her, and extended its inner lining into blades that cut her across the arms and torso. Screaming in pain, Spider-Woman flexed her muscles and broke free of the metal rod, before falling and landing heavily on the ground, her blood staining the sand as she tried to get up.

"_See, I've been practicing with my powers," _Polestar smirked as Spider-Woman struggled to her feet. _"I learned a lot about force fields, reshaping metals, electrical bolts, stuff like that." _

"_You hear that?" _Polestar laughed to the cameras, which were still filming the battle. _"My name is Thomas Duffy! You hear me, Chucky, Katie, Ellen? Don't tell me you're not watching!"_

Spider-Woman tried to lash out at Polestar with a punch while he was ranting, but he easily anticipated the move and leapt out of the way. Taking to the air again, he threw up his force field as it blocked the electrical blasts Spider-Woman fired at him, before shaping it into a rounded sphere.

"_Nice try," _Polestar grinned, _"but that's not going to work. You really think I'm going to be beaten again by some kid half my age?" _

Spider-Woman merely scowled in reply, before suddenly shooting her webs from both hands and catching Polestar's force field on both sides. Leaping into the air with superhuman speed, Spider-Woman whipped Polestar around and brutally slammed him into the ground before he could react. The shock of the blow sent Polestar reeling and forced him to drop his force field. He tried to get to his feet, but was stunned by a blast from Spider-Woman.

Before he could recover enough to fight back, Spider-Woman caught up to him and began pounding him mercilessly with her punches. Polestar tried to counter, but Spider-Woman delivered a vicious punch to the gut that left him doubled over in pain and then followed up with a haymaker that sent him flying to land flat on his back. She picked him up with one hand and cocked the other one into a fist, before Polestar raised his own hands in a tired surrender.

"What was this all about?" she demanded, flinging Polestar to the ground and wrapping him in webbing before stanching her own bleeding wounds.

"_Never good enough," _Polestar muttered. _"I was never fucking good enough for any of them." _

"What?" she demanded.

"_No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, they always screwed me over. I was a disgrace, a loser, a moron." _

"What does that have to do with anything?" Spider-Woman asked, not knowing what Polestar was talking about.

"_They know who I am," _Polestar grinned. _"My parents…my siblings…my ex-wife…they'll know I did all this, and they'll never live it down. Poor old Tom Duffy, a robber and a killer…" _

"You did all this just to humiliate your family?" Spider-Woman said in amazement. Her anger boiled over again, and a part of her wanted to give Polestar an even worse beating, but she knew that wouldn't accomplish anything. Turning away from him in disgust, she dropped Polestar into the sand, where he was gathered up by the approaching policemen. Paramedics had also arrived to begin treating the injuries of the beachgoers, many of whom were cheering and thanking her for saving them.

Wearily, Spider-Woman sat down and let one of the paramedics treat her, smiling in relief when she heard that no one had actually been killed in Polestar's rampage. Taking a few moments to sign some autographs while she rested, Spider-Woman took a deep breath and calm down.

She was sickened by the horror Polestar had wreaked on the beachgoers, but looking into their smiling, grateful faces made Spider-Woman feel a lot better.

* * *

Limping back to the rooms Harry had rented in her street clothes, Mary Jane was relieved to note that her cuts and bruises didn't stand out from the injuries most of the other beachgoers had suffered. Although she'd taken more punishment than the bystanders, her own inherent toughness had allowed her to weather it better so she looked no worse off than the bystanders and could easily pass as one of them.

To her surprise, she found everyone else already there, packing their bags. Giving a cry of relief, Kitty instantly caught Mary Jane in a tight hug as the others all exclaimed their worry.

"Thank God you're alright," Kong said, breathing heavily. "Was anyone killed?"

"No, thankfully," Mary Jane replied. "But where did you guys all go?"

"We ran for it when we saw those explosions and the screams," Liz explained, shame in her voice. "I know we should have tried to find you, but we just panicked."

"It's fine," Mary Jane assured them. "Besides, it was just pure chaos-I don't know if you would have been able to find me anyway. And what's with your packing your bags?"

"You saw the beach," Harry shook his head. "With all that blood and shrapnel, it'll take them weeks to clean up the beach. Just about everybody's leaving-they're actually sending a couple more ferries over to take all the beachgoers back. You weren't seriously thinking of staying, were you?"

"No, of course not," Mary Jane replied, slightly embarrassed. "But what are we going to do with the rest of our vacation? We still have five and a half days off! When are we going to get the chance to all be together again like this?"

"We could go camping," Kong offered. "I mean, I have a couple of tents and sleeping bags we could use!"

"I suppose we could," Kitty replied, "just as long as you promise to leave your guitar at home."

"Why's that?" Mary Jane asked.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Kitty shuddered.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Rested and refreshed from her vacation, Mary Jane returns to New York to finish her modelling work with Roderick Kingsley, even as she tries to reconnect with Randy and Ben and begins auditions for _The Wiz. _Unfortunately, that's when the simmering tensions between the New York crime syndicates explode in a murderous gang war, with Spider-Woman caught in the middle when she tries to protect Harry and Liz's neighborhood from an attack by the mutant street gang known as the Nasty Boys! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #23: Gangster's Paradise!_ Guest-starring the Amazing Spider-Man!)


	25. Gangster's Paradise

Philippe Bazin was not amused.

Perhaps the most restrained of New York's four major crime bosses, Bazin preferred to operate under the radar, not arousing the wrath of the New York Police Department or the city's superheroes unless he had to. He preferred to operate with a steel fist wrapped in a velvet glove-not seeking out conflict with his rivals or the authorities, but ready to mercilessly crush his foes if provoked. It had been a very effective policy, particularly in maintaining his position against repeated attacks by the Kingpin, to say nothing of the various up-and-coming sharks he had destroyed over the years.

Today, however, Bazin's lieutenants were treated to a rare display of emotion from their boss. From his impeccably trimmed moustache and beard to the dark but crisp and expensive suits he preferred to dress in, Bazin's appearance normally matched his quiet but intense demeanor. Today, however, an angry dark-red pallor flushed his cheeks, and there was an unmistakable edge in his voice.

"That impetuous fool!" Bazin shouted, slamming his fist against his desk when he heard the report describing how the Maggia had been responsible for tipping off the police to his lucrative child pornography ring. Forced to temporarily shut down his depraved operations while his men moved everything to a new location, Bazin had taken considerable heat from several of his customers, who were deathly afraid of being linked to the sickening "business" if the police discovered it. Some of them were considering jumping ship to other suppliers, despite whatever assurances Bazin had tried to give them.

"How far have the police gotten?" Bazin demanded his lieutenants, leaning back in his chair and tapping his fingers against each other irritably.

"Not very, Mr. Bazin," one of his henchmen assured him. "We got the signal out in enough time, and Mr. Alfonse is confident that we can resume operations within a couple of weeks."

"See that you do," Bazin ordered. "In the meantime, I should like to have a word with Phillip Watson about the Maggia's role in the Judge Baylor assassination, to say nothing of the bribes they've been paying assorted members of the DEA." Recruited to help Bazin's syndicate launder its money, Phillip Watson had been an invaluable aid both for his financial acumen and the intelligence he'd passed on to Bazin.

"Also," he ordered, "I want contact with Boomerang, Sabertooth and the Constrictor. Tell them they won't be attacking immediately, but that they'll be receiving their orders within the week. And pass the word on to our underbosses-things are going to be getting very ugly very fast."

Bazin's henchmen looked at each other uneasily.

Their boss ignored them, simply picking up one of the pawns on the chessboard in front of him and staring at it intently, his eyes narrowing.

Philippe Bazin never started wars.

He finished them.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #23

"GANGSTER'S PARADISE"

* * *

Mary Jane Watson waved to her friends as they pulled away in Harry Osborn's car, her face wreathed in a bright smile. After her aborted vacation at Fire Island, and all the other stresses she'd endured over the last several months, the five days she'd spent on the camping trip with her friends had been just what she'd needed. Rested and renewed, she rang the doorbell to her Aunt Anna's townhouse with a bounce in her step that had been missing for far too long.

It was with a wordless squeal of joy that Mary Jane hugged her cousin Kristy when she answered the door, before helping Mary Jane carry her luggage into the house. Aunt Anna and Mary Jane's mother Maddie Romita-Watson came out to see what was going on, and before long the four women were sharing tea and sandwiches as they chatted over a late lunch.

"We were so worried after what happened at Fire Island," Anna noted, referring to the attack by the supervillain Polestar. "You weren't hurt too badly, were you?"

"Nothing worse than any of the other beachgoers," Mary Jane assured her. "It's a good thing that Spider-Woman saved us, though."

"We heard about that," Maddie smiled. "She was so brave, protecting all those innocent people like that. They probably all owe her their lives. Her loved ones must be proud of her, whoever she is. I know I would be."

Mary Jane stopped eating at this.

"…Is something wrong?" Kristy asked, noting the expression on Mary Jane's face.

"…No, I just realized the kind of damage that Polestar guy probably could have done if she hadn't stopped him," Mary Jane finally said, telling some of the truth but not all of it. "Besides, you seem a lot better,"

"Dr. Lowenstein's been a big help," Maddie assured her. "I don't know what I would have done without seeing her…"

They ate in silence for a few minutes, before Mary Jane spoke up again.

"I know something else that might cheer you up a little," she grinned. "Have you ever heard of _The Wiz?" _

"You mean that black version of _The Wizard of Oz?" _Anna asked.

"Yeah," Mary Jane replied. "Have you ever seen it?"

"I saw the movie, probably about twenty years ago now," Anna replied. "Diana Ross was way too old to be playing Dorothy. Michael Jackson was pretty good, though."

"It was a musical before it was a movie," Mary Jane replied. "Randy Robertson invited me to audition with him for a colorblind production they're doing. It's part of the theater's summer run-they're on a bit of a nostalgia kick."

"Will that be the only thing you do this summer?" Kristy asked.

"It depends on how much time I have with work and getting ready for school," Mary Jane answered. "I might be doing some more work for Roderick Kingsley," she continued, summoning every bit of willpower she had to avoid shuddering, "but aside from that I really don't know."

"That's no big deal," Anna assured her. "Besides, these are the best years of your life-you should be enjoying your summers more anyway!"

"Is that the voice of experience?" Kristy couldn't help but ask.

"Another word and you're grounded for a month," Anna scowled with mock anger, as all four of the Watson women fell to giggling.

* * *

"Supervillain psychology?" Mr. Howard asked, blinking in surprise at the young woman in front of him. "And what, exactly, will be your subject?"

"Exploring the motivations for supervillains dressing the way they do," Maggie Beck replied unflappably. "People have been donning masks and costumes for centuries for all sorts of purposes, everything from festival to ritual to disguise. My thinking is that many of these supervillains are simply carrying on the tradition."

"A tradition, hmm?" Mr. Howard rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "My own belief was that decades of social conditioning by comic books was what led many super-powered individuals to dress in the unusual attire they wear."

"That's a part of it, but more than that it also reveals something of who they are," Maggie replied. "People often dress in Halloween costumes based on their personal preferences, and it's my feeling that for many supervillains their costumes are a reflection of their personalities. Indeed, it's somewhat ironic that they need to dress in costumes to reveal parts of their characters they otherwise wouldn't. We all take on different parts of our identities at different times, so I don't see why it should be different for supervillains."

"You forget that supervillains don't always tend to be balanced or logical people," Mr. Howard pointed out.

"True, but that's why this warrants further research," Maggie insisted. "I already have some avenues I want to pursue."

Mr. Howard thought on that for a while.

"Very well," he finally agreed. "You realize you'll be subject to the standard citation and ethics rules for graduate theses, right?"

"Of course," Maggie nodded.

In her mind, she was already reflecting on the bizarre attire of the supervillains, from 8-Ball to Screaming Mimi to the Green Goblin to the mysterious Jack O' Lantern.

She found the pumpkin-headed maniac's ravings perhaps the most intriguing of all.

* * *

It was while reviewing a copy of the script of _The Wiz _and rehearsing the song she planned to sing as part of her audition that Mary Jane heard her cell phone ring. Looking at the call display, her heart sank as she saw it was from Kingsley Cosmetics, knowing that it was almost certainly Roderick himself who was phoning. Knowing that she couldn't afford to lose his good graces, she answered her phone politely, doing her best to keep her voice even.

"Hello?" she asked.

_"Mary Jane!" _Roderick Kingsley greeted her cheerfully. _"How was your vacation?" _

"Very good, thank you," Mary Jane replied. "How about you?"

_"I don't do vacations, honey," _Kingsley said. _"I've been hopping from Milan to Paris to Los Angeles to get ready to unveil my summer collection! That's why I'm calling-you did some fantastic work earlier this month, and I was wondering if you could come back again." _

"I'm afraid I can't," Mary Jane shook her head. "I've got rehearsals, my job at the coffee shop, and classes to set up."

_"The money's really good," _Kingsley persisted.

"No, I really appreciate the offer, but I just can't right now," Mary Jane said firmly, even as her voice betrayed something of an edge.

_"…I see," _Kingsley finally finished, the cheer gone from his voice. _"That's too bad," _he snapped, before he hung up.

Aside from privately wishing he hadn't called her, Mary Jane found herself more than a little unnerved by Kingsley's tone.

Shaking her head, she tried to get back to her rehearsals, but the note of anger she'd detected in his voice lurked at the back of her mind.

* * *

The first day of July was bright and cheerful, just as Mary Jane had hoped it would be, particularly as she got off the bus to meet Randy Robertson before they headed down together for the audition. Apart from the incident with Kingsley, everything had more or less gotten back to normal for Mary Jane, as she spent her days working at the coffee shop and her nights catching up on others. Much to her relief, she hadn't needed to go out as Spider-Woman, as the city had been quiet. She hadn't been able to reach Ben Reilly or Mark Raxton, the guy who she'd met at Fire Island, but Randy had been eager to hook up with her again.

"Hey there, gorgeous," Randy caught Mary Jane in a hug as he emerged from his apartment building. "You ready to knock them dead?"

"You bet," Mary Jane grinned. "I even watched the movie version of _The Wiz _last night to bone up."

"Really?" Randy smiled. "What did you think?"

"It was good for the most part," she said. "The only part I didn't like was Diana Ross as Dorothy-she was way too old for the part of Dorothy."

"Yeah…" Randy muttered, frowning a bit.

"I'm sorry, was that something I shouldn't have said?" Mary Jane asked.

"…It's just that the movie's really iconic for the black community," Randy explained after a moment. "I can understand how you feel, though."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," Mary Jane apologized.

"No, it's alright," Randy said. "Actually, they made a lot of changes for the film-we're going by the musical script. It adheres a lot more to Baum's original book."

"I never read it," Mary Jane admitted. "I heard they made a lot of changes for the Judy Garland film."

"They sure did," Randy nodded. "That's what I really like about the musical-we're actually more faithful to Baum's original version. None of that crap about Glinda not telling Dorothy the secret of the slippers, either."

"Yeah, that always bugged me," Mary Jane nodded. "So which role are you going for?"

"The Scarecrow," Randy grinned. "That was Michael Jackson's role."

"How the heck did he move like that, anyway?" Mary Jane wondered, thinking back to the way Jackson had walked in the film. "I swear, it was like his bones were made of rubber."

Randy only sighed sadly at that.

"Oh no, did I-" Mary Jane began.

"No, no you didn't…" Randy shook his head. "Your mentioning it just reminds me of how people see Michael these days."

"Yeah, I couldn't help but wonder about that," Mary Jane replied.

"Well, just remember this-whatever that man was accused of, there's no way in hell he would have ever done it," Randy said determinedly. "It just makes me mad to think that _that's _probably going to be what people will remember him for, more than his music."

Mary Jane wasn't sure what to say.

"So…" she said after a few minutes of silence, "what classes are you going to be taking this fall?"

"I'm still working my schedule out," he replied. "Probably the same mix of courses I had last year. How about you?"

"The same," Mary Jane said, rubbing her chin, "but what I'm more worried about is how I'm going to pay for it. Student loans aren't cheap, you know…"

"You're telling me," Randy muttered. "Last I heard, there were rumors of another tuition hike, too."

"Another year over and deeper in debt," Mary Jane sighed.

"That's par for the course these days," Randy grumbled.

* * *

Returning home later that evening, Mary Jane wasn't sure her rendition of _Soon As I Get Home _was as good as it could have or should have been. On the other hand, Randy had brought down the house with his take on _I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday_.

"Hi MJ," Kitty Pryde greeted Mary Jane as she returned to the apartment they shared. "How'd it go?"

"Not as good as I'd hoped," Mary Jane said. "I should have spent more time practicing. Then again, my voice has never been as good as I'd like."

"Are you kidding?" Kitty asked. "It sounds great to me."

"Yeah, but I can never seem to get as much of a vocal range as I try for," Mary Jane explained. "Randy's got a hell of a voice on him, though. He's a lock for the part of the Scarecrow."

"So what's the status between you and him?" Kitty asked. "I mean, he seemed pretty happy to hear that you were back."

Mary Jane blushed slightly.

"I don't know," she said. "He seems like he really wants to go steady right away. I'm not sure I'm ready for that, honestly."

"Ben will be glad to hear that," Kitty grinned. "He called while you were out, and asked you to call him."

Mary Jane only smiled back as she reached for the phone.

* * *

Andrew Reilly had been expecting the call ever since he heard his son Ben had called Kitty's apartment hoping to get in touch with Mary Jane. None too pleased with his son, he had personally waited until the return call came, an ugly scowl stamped on his face.

"Hello?" he grimaced, hoping it was Kitty.

_"Hi, is Ben there?" _Mary Jane asked on the other end, her voice dripping with false sincerity.

"Ah, Miss Watson," Andrew said, not bothering to disguise the edge in his voice. "I was afraid you'd be the one calling."

_"P…pardon?" _Mary Jane asked, no doubt confused as to how Andrew could have seen through all her bullshit.

"Let me be perfectly clear, young lady," Andrew warned her. "I do not like you. People like you make me sick."

_"I…what?" _Mary Jane fumbled, her voice now filled with pain, as she realized how right Andrew was.

"Don't think you don't know what I'm talking about," Andrew reproached her. "Always acting as if you're so perfect, looking down your nose at everyone else. Pretending to help someone out of the goodness of your heart, before you move on to help the next poor benighted soul who will be graced with your presence."

_"No…I…" _Mary Jane tried to interrupt, her voice cracking as Andrew exposed her for what she really was.

"Hence my warning to you," Andrew continued, his eyes narrowing. "I have many powerful friends in this city, and I can make your life very miserable if you so choose. Very, very miserable. Do I make myself clear?"

Mary Jane's stunned silence let him continue.

"Stay away from my son," Andrew finished bluntly. "You're not good enough for him. Remember that."

With that, Andrew hung up unceremoniously before Mary Jane could answer.

* * *

Kitty initially listened to Mary Jane's call with amusement, but her amusement turned to alarm as she saw the grieved and wounded look that crossed Mary Jane's face before she hung up.

"What happened?" Kitty asked in alarm, before Mary Jane related what Andrew Reilly had said.

"That's…that's just crazy!" Kitty said in disbelief. "Why would Uncle Andy say something like that?"

Mary Jane only shrugged sadly, trying to blink away the tears that appeared in her eyes.

"I don't know what he's thinking," Kitty continued, shaking her head. "I mean, he'd never…do you want me to talk to him?"

"No," Mary Jane murmured. "I don't want to risk getting on your uncle's bad side any more than I already am."

Patting Mary Jane's shoulder comfortingly, Kitty seethed inwardly, wondering what could have possibly led her uncle to jump to such ridiculous conclusions.

Ben wasn't going to be happy to hear about this.

* * *

It had been building for weeks, the tension simmering in the background as Phillip Watson's double-dealing led the leaders of the New York crime syndicates to become increasingly restive and wary. Everyone was nervous and on edge-they knew that all hell was going to break loose-and the only question was when.

The first spark came when the New York Police Department raided the hastily-vacated nerve center of Philippe Bazin's child pornography ring, which led Bazin to strike back by firebombing the Maggia's largest betting parlor while turning Sabertooth and Boomerang loose on Silvermane's top lieutenants. At the same time, Bazin released the information he had on the Judge Baylor assassination to the police, which prompted Silvermane to retaliate by blowing up several of Bazin's upstate meth labs.

It was then that the Kingpin tightened the screws on the distracted Maggia by leaking word of what was supposed to be a safehouse for the Acolytes of Magneto to the authorities, but was in truth a major supply warehouse for the Maggia. Attacked from two sides, it was all Silvermane could do to oppose Bazin and the police at the same time over the next several days.

Such was the scenario when the Ox, the Kingpin's lieutenant in charge of enforcement and intimidation, addressed the six gang bangers seated in front of him at the Bar With No Name. Unlike many other street gangs, which were formed based on race or nationality, the Nasty Boys were mutants who'd banded together to use their powers for criminal fun and profit. They'd made their name in Chicago and Buffalo as a hit squad, trashing the bordellos, meth labs and other "establishments" run by their employers' rivals. Although they'd eventually been defeated by the X-Men, the Boys had managed to avoid arrest and made their way to New York to join the Kingpin's organization.

The first operation the Ox had sent the Boys on had been thwarted by Sleepwalker, Spider-Man and Daredevil, but the Ox realized that it was only natural that so many heroes would be attracted to such a high profile assignment. The Boys' record in making life a living hell for their criminal rivals was still extremely impressive, and the Ox had another operation in mind for them.

"So, what's the plan?" Gorgeous George asked as he sat up in his chair. The Boys' leader resembled nothing so much as a pile of living purple slime, for all that he had the face, hair and general shape of a human being.

"Yeah," the pink-haired Ruckus chimed in. "We've been hearing about the war between Silvermane and Bazin. Is the Kingpin going to get in on the action?" he smiled eagerly.

"You guys feel like razing a city block or two?" the Ox asked. "A couple of Bazin's top lieutenants live in the area, and their deaths will significantly undermine his operations. You can see why the Kingpin would like to see them killed."

"Where is it?" Gorgeous George asked, before the Ox described the area.

"Not as high class as I would have expected," Solarr commented. His long bright orange hair was accented by the gold hue of his eyes and many of his teeth, to say nothing of his loud yellow, orange and red clothing.

"That's the thing about Bazin, you have to understand," the Ox explained. "He's more low-key than the other bosses, and many of his lieutenants share his temperament. Hence they aren't as ostentatious as the likes of Crimewave's or Silvermane's under bosses."

"Whatever," the beastly Hairbag, who looked less like a man than a humanoid wolfhound with porcupine-like quills all over his arms and back, and with sharp claws and fangs in place of fingernails, toenails and teeth. "You want 'em all dead, right?"

"Yes," the Ox explained. "Or at least badly maimed or crippled. Something that can undermine Bazin's operations."

"It's just like my dad always said," Gorgeous George said philosophically, as the rest of the Boys grinned at one another. "Find a job you like and you'll never have to work a day in your life."

* * *

As soon as she'd gotten off work the next day, Mary Jane had changed into Spider-Woman and begun shadowing her friend Harry Osborn. Ever since she'd heard about the increased gang violence taking place across the city, Spider-Woman had become concerned that someone might try to strike back at Norman Osborn through his son Harry. Mary Jane had only met Norman Osborn once, back before her powers had begun to manifest, but given that he was such a close associate of her father it wouldn't have surprised her at all if Osborn was dealing with organized crime.

Harry had dropped Liz at her apartment after they'd left the movie theater, and had now come back to his own place to settle in for the night. Observing Harry's apartment from the rooftop of a nearby building, Spider-Woman could barely make out Harry as he drank some milk from the carton, before going into his bedroom and turning out the lights. Looking around at the apparently deserted streets, Spider-Woman yawned briefly, noting that there didn't seem to be so much as a stray cat or a squirrel walking around tonight.

Unfortunately, that was when the large van pulled up, blaring loud hip-hop music. The six figures that poured out of it were unfamiliar to Spider-Woman, but the way they set out attacking the nearby apartment buildings and houses was all too familiar. One of the men threw deadly fireballs at one house, while another seemed to howl a deadly scream that shattered the windows and badly damaged the structure of another house. Yet another one of the punks was gesturing as he seemingly brought the large trees on a lawn to life, using them to smash into and tear down the home they sat in front of. People began screaming in terror as they ran out of their homes, where they were brutally cut down by the rest of the super-powered punks.

Filled with rage at what she was seeing, Spider-Woman spun a webline to the street and slid right down it before charging into the melee, heedless of the fact she was outnumbered six to one.

* * *

No one would have ever accused the Amazing Spider-Man of being a coward, but the red-and-blue-clad hero found himself distinctly unnerved as he swung towards the upscale neighborhood where Ben Urich had heard that the Nasty Boys were going to strike. Spider-Man had defeated the Nasty Boys once before, when the Kingpin had assigned them to murder a group of witnesses that were set to testify against his crime syndicate, but that was with Sleepwalker and Daredevil there to help him. Unfortunately, Daredevil was already tied up in Hell's Kitchen and Sleepwalker was nowhere to be found, which left Spider-Man more than a little uncertain about taking on six mutant killers all on his own.

Urich had alerted the police to the attack, but so far Spider-Man hadn't seen any of their presence in the area. As Peter Parker, Spider-Man had heard Urich talk about the unrest in the New York Police Department, with honest officers like Captain George Stacy, head of the Organized Crime Unit struggling to root out the dirty cops who were undermining the department. So far, for all of Stacy's other accomplishments, he hadn't been having much luck.

Spider-Man shook the disturbing thoughts from his mind as he landed in the middle of the Nasty Boys, firing his webbing at Ruckus and Ramrod and pulling them off balance as he dodged Hairbag's quills.

"Boy, the Sex Pistols would be disappointed," Spider-Man quipped as he rolled around one of Solarr's fireballs and then charged in to slug the fiery mutant. "Is _this _what the punk movement's come to these days?"

Unfortunately, Spider-Man was forced to dodge yet again, this time to avoid Gorgeous George's lunging at him in a tidal wave of purple ooze. Caught in midair, he couldn't hope to avoid the punch that Slab threw at him, sending him flying to crash into the wall of a burning house, before slumping to the ground in pain. Struggling to get to his feet, Spider-Man's heart sank as he realized that all six Nasty Boys had focused their attention on him, and were getting ready to strike.

"Hardly fair, don't you think?" Spider-Man muttered as he stepped into a fighting stance. "Why, I-" he was suddenly cut off as the electrical sting blasts came from behind, knocking several of the Boys off their feet. As the rest of the Boys turned around in alarm, Spider-Man looked past them to see the spectacular Spider-Woman charging at them, spraying Hairbag in the fact with a blob of webbing before springing into the air and catching a street lamp with another webline. Swinging through the air, she caught Slab right in the stomach with a vicious double kick, sending him flying back to crash heavily on the ground.

Eagerly pressing the advantage, Spider-Man came at Ruckus from behind as he was about to fire a sonic scream at Spider-Woman. Firing a webline from one hand, Spider-Man twisted Ruckus around and then used his other hand to fire a glob of webbing that sealed the pink-haired mutant's mouth. Cursing as he tried to blast the webbing free, Ruckus collapsed as Spider-Man delivered a haymaker that dropped him flat on his back. The wall-crawler would have followed up his blow, but he was forced to dodge as Hairbag came charging in, howling murderously.

With the agility of a trapeze artist, Spider-Man twisted through the air, but again he was powerless to avoid the quills Hairbag shot at him. Spider-Man screamed in pain as the quills sank into his back and his legs, landing painfully on the ground. He tried to get up, but then he was pummeled by the nearby trees, which Ramrod gleefully manipulated to attack the outnumbered hero.

* * *

Spider-Woman backflipped over Solarr's fireball, causing it to scorch Slab as the giant mutant staggered to his feet. Being dropped to one knee didn't stop Slab from lashing out with his free hand and catching Spider-Woman, sending her flying to land painfully on the pavement. Rolling around on the ground, Spider-Woman suddenly felt herself engulfed by the slimy Gorgeous George, who oozed up from the ground around the arachnid heroine to crush her. Spider-Woman retaliated by firing another sting blast in George's face, forcing him to let up on the attack before she sprang away again. Unfortunately, she was confronted by Slab, who caught her in midair, swung her around and sent her flying to crash into a tree across the street.

Dizziness whirled through Spider-Woman's head as she slumped to the ground. As Slab stomped towards her, she looked past him to notice that Solarr, Ruckus and many of the rest of the Nasty Boys were attacking the innocent bystanders who lived in the neighborhood and were fleeing for their lives in a panic. Gunshots rang out as some of the residents tried to fight back, but the Nasty Boys merely laughed and fired back with their fireballs, barbed quills and sonic shouts, which proved far more effective than the guns wielded by their opponents.

Shouting in frustration, realizing that she was almost powerless to stop the mutant killers, Spider-Woman fired her sting blasts at them to distract them. Looking around frantically for Spider-Man, she saw him bravely trying to web up the trees Ramrod was using to attack the bystanders. Unfortunately, Solarr caught him dead on with an explosive fireball, causing Spider-Man to howl in pain and fall to the ground, as Hairbag pounced on him.

Spider-Woman herself was no better off. Running to help Spider-Man, while privately wondering what was taking the police and emergency crews so damn long, Spider-Woman was blown off her feet by a sonic blast from Ruckus. As she sat up, Ruckus leered at her and fired another blast, this time amplifying the sounds of the gunshots that had been fired in the night. Spider-Woman rolled under the blast and fired a webline at Ruckus with one hand, tripping him up before she caught him in the chest with a sting blast from her other hand, knocking him senseless.

One of the Nasty Boys was down, but five more were still up and causing bloody mayhem everywhere Spider-Woman looked. Her frustration built as she realized she couldn't help every one of the Boys' victims at once, as they spread their mayhem around. Looking briefly for Spider-Man, she felt a glimmer of hope as she saw him send Hairbag flying with a vicious kick, but that hope was smashed as Ramrod grappled Spider-Man again with a tree and flung him more than thirty feet into the air, whereupon he crashed into the wall of Harry's apartment building and slumped towards the ground.

Weary from her own injuries, Spider-Woman tried frantically to decide what to do next, but the Nasty Boys had apparently satisfied themselves, as they began running for their van. Gorgeous George oozed around the unconscious Ruckus, picking him up and carrying him. A part of Spider-Woman made her want to pursue the Boys, but she knew she couldn't possibly defeat them. Instead, she made herself useful putting out some of Solarr's fires with her webbing and digging people out of the wreckage of their homes.

Several wearying minutes passed until the emergency crews finally arrived, taking over from the exhausted Spider-Woman. Looking around with concern, she wondered what could have happened to Spider-Man. Spider-Woman eventually caught sight of a red-gloved hand sticking out from under a pile of rubble, and eventually pulled Spider-Man free.

He was badly cut and even more badly bruised, with an ugly second-degree burn on his back. To Spider-Woman's immense relief, Spider-Man was breathing normally, and she could see that his injuries, while serious, were not life-threatening. She had learned a great deal about first aid when treating her mother's injuries, and Spider-Woman could tell that Spider-Man would be alright with a few days' rest.

Spider-Woman stood up straight, cradling the unconscious Spider-Man in her arms as she started to head for the paramedics. A sudden thought made her pause, as she realized that Spider-Man's mask had been torn in several places, and his face had become mostly visible. The last thing Spider-Woman wanted to do was reveal Spider-Man's secret identity, since the paramedics would have to remove his costume to treat him. It was all too likely that some bystander or paramedic would almost certainly reveal that information to the public if they could see it.

If that type of information got out, Spider-Man and all his loved ones would be in terrible danger.

As she leaned in more closely at Spider-Man's face to get a better look at the bruises that covered it, Spider-Woman gasped in recognition at what she saw.

The face of Peter Parker.

Nodding in determination, she knew what she had to do.

* * *

Ever since his nephew had begun fighting crime as Spider-Man, Ben Parker had become used to the strange sights he saw in and around New York. On more than one occasion, Ben had also come home to find Peter badly injured and in need of first aid, something Ben had always been able to provide. His wife, the late May Parker, was a nurse who had taught her husband many things about caring for the wounded.

As he came home from his monthly Elks Club meeting, Ben wasn't particularly surprised to see the light on in Peter's upstairs room. Either Peter was brushing up for some more of the work he was doing as part of his internship at Fireheart Industries, or he was resting up from his injuries.

Making his way into the house, Ben noticed that the first aid kit was missing from its usual place. Sighing, he made his way up the stairs to check on Peter.

Ben Parker had seen many unusual things in his life, but he was still shocked by seeing his nephew Peter Parker lying unconscious in his bed stripped to his underwear, covered in bandages and icepacks, with his tattered and scorched Spider-Man costume draped over a chair. Sitting in another chair on the other side of the bed was a lovely young woman with raven-black hair, clad in a red and gold costume, who looked rather battered and worn out herself. She looked up in alarm as Ben came into the room, having been too absorbed in looking after Peter to notice Ben coming in.

They stared at each other for several moments, the air thick with tension.

"…What happened here?" Ben Parker finally ventured.

Spider-Woman took several minutes to explain everything that had happened with the Nasty Boys, and how Peter had been very badly hurt trying to stop the Nasty Boys. When she'd seen who Peter was, she realized she could take him home and treat him herself without the risk of exposing his secret identity.

That last admission made Ben raise an eyebrow.

"And just how did you recognize Peter, might I ask?" he queried.

Spider-Woman closed her eyes and sighed, before she reached up and lowered her face mask. Even as she did so, her deep black hair turned to a bright fire-red, and a pair of green eyes blinked out from behind the mask she had lowered.

"You're…" Ben gasped in surprise.

"Yes," Spider-Woman admitted. "I'm Mary Jane Watson."

(_**Next Issue:**_ When Mary Jane reveals her secret identity to Peter and Ben Parker, they return the favor by helping Mary Jane realize the truth about her origins and all her powers. As they share their secrets and their reasons for becoming superheroes, Peter and Mary Jane come to realize that they share a very unique bond. All this and more in _Spider-Woman #24: Brother Spider, Sister Arachnid!)_


	26. Brother Spider, Sister Arachnid

In the nearly four years since he had become the amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker had seen many strange things. Whether it was the many ways in which humans had begun developing bizarre abilities through a variety of accidents and genetic mutations, or concrete and tangible proof that aliens and magic were very real things, Peter thought he'd seen it all.

He realized he was wrong when he woke up in bed to find his Uncle Ben sitting on one side, and Mary Jane Watson on the other. To his amazement, Mary Jane was dressed in the costume of the spectacular Spider-Woman, and looked worn and battered from the many injuries and bruises that covered her body. Struggling to sit up, Peter winced in pain and realized that he'd taken a fairly serious beating himself. Groaning in pain, he lay back on his pillow.

"Let me guess," he said weakly to Mary Jane. "You brought me back here?"

"Yeah," Mary Jane nodded. "I was going to let the paramedics take care of you, but then I realized they'd probably need to take off your mask. Someone would probably see your face and release your secret identity to the media."

"Smart girl," Peter grinned. "You only joined the spandex set what, seven months ago?"

Mary Jane nodded.

"Didn't take you long to learn a lot of the superhero ground rules, did it?" he joked.

"There are rules?" Mary Jane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really," Peter replied. "I'm just supposed to say that so my union rep stays off my back."

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #24

"BROTHER SPIDER, SISTER ARACHNID"

* * *

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Mary Jane spoke again.

"So now we know each others' secrets," she said.

"Yeah," Peter replied. "Why'd you unmask to us?"

"Because I'd already more or less guessed the truth," Uncle Ben interjected. "You already told me your theories about Spider-Woman, and when I realized she probably had to have known you to recognize you and bring you back home, that pretty much narrowed it down."

"Yeah, I kind of figured you already…wait, what 'theories' are you talking about?" Mary Jane demanded, her eyes narrowing. "What were you thinking about me?"

"You should tell her, Peter," Uncle Ben nodded, as he stood up. "I'm going to go make some stew-you both look like you could use a good meal."

"Well?" Mary Jane asked Peter after Ben had left the room. "You were saying?"

"You remember going to Midtown High, right? How you were a year behind me?" Peter began.

"Yeah," Mary Jane replied. "What about it?"

"Do you remember how all our classes went to that big field trip to Empire State University?" he continued.

"Vaguely," she replied. "The only thing I actually learned was how eager Midtown was for the Homecoming celebrations that they emptied the school for a day to set everything up."

"We were in the same group," Peter replied. "Everybody was randomly split up and put in the same groups. Anyway, do you remember how we got to that one exhibit on genetically altered animals?"

Mary Jane bit her lip as she searched her memory, and then shook her head.

"I had picked up this glass case full of genetically altered spiders, and then Flash Thompson snuck up on me and tried to give me a wedgie," Peter persisted. "I was so startled I sent the case flying. It shattered on the table, and then sent the spiders flying everywhere."

"Okay, yeah…" Mary Jane replied, as the memory slowly began to come back.

"That was…well…" Peter stopped, before reaching for his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Mary Jane asked.

"Let me see the back of your neck," Peter asked her. "Don't worry, I just want to see something," he continued, in response to her frown.

Shrugging, Mary Jane leaned in and brushed her hair off to the side so Peter could get a look. He smiled in satisfaction and took a picture with his phone, before releasing Mary Jane.

"I take it that's for your private collection?" she smiled wryly.

"Look at this," Peter showed her the picture. Mary Jane blinked in surprise as she saw two tiny pinprick marks on the back of her neck.

"Those are…scars," she said in surprise. "When did that happen? I never saw those in my life!"

"They're almost invisible," Peter explained. "I only saw them because I was looking for them."

"…Wait, how did you know those scars would be there?" she asked suspiciously.

In response, Peter stretched out his right hand, pointing out the two tiny scars on the back of it.

"…They're just like mine," she said in astonishment. "How did-"

"When one of those spiders went flying, it landed on my hand. It bit me and transmitted its mutated DNA into mine," Peter said solemnly. "That was when I started to...change," he finished.

"You mean…" Mary Jane gasped in astonishment.

"Yeah," he replied. "That spider bite gave me my powers."

Mary Jane reeled, barely able to comprehend it.

"Then…I…" she stammered.

"One of the spiders bounced off the back of your neck," Peter replied. "I didn't think much of it at the time, but once I saw you fighting crime as Spider-Woman, it all came back to me."

"So I got powers too," she breathed, as so many things began to make sense for her. "I got bitten just like you…"

That realization raised another question, though.

"Wait, hold on!" she exclaimed after a moment. "How come I only started developing my powers now? Why did you get yours right away?"

Peter thought on that for a moment.

"No two genomes are the same, unless they're identical twins," he muttered. "And none of those spiders had the same combination of mutations, either."

"Come again?" Mary Jane asked in confusion.

"This is just a theory, but I think the unique combinations of the spiders that bit us affected our unique DNA structures differently. In my case, the mutations happened right away. In your case, though, the mutations were…well, 'stored'," Peter explained.

"…Stored?" a befuddled Mary Jane mumbled.

"The human body typically has several things happen to it over the course of its lifetime," Peter replied. "It loses its baby teeth, it goes through puberty, it shows signs of age, it can lose its fertility, that sort of thing. These things occur at different times for different people, but they can usually be counted on to happen."

"What I'm thinking is that your mutations became set to occur at a specific time in your body's development," Peter continued. "When exactly did your powers start to develop?"

"Almost right after I turned nineteen," Mary Jane said. "My body started tingling, and then I started developing my powers less than two weeks afterward. I could shoot webs, fire electrical sting blasts, crawl on walls, everything."

"In that case, it's almost like puberty or menopause," Peter explained. "Most people typically start undergoing puberty when they're around eleven to thirteen years old, and women typically experience menopause in late middle age. It occurs at different times for every person, but we're all genetically programmed to have these types of things happen to us."

"So basically, my powers were set to activate around my nineteenth birthday?" Mary Jane asked incredulously.

"It's just a theory, mind you," Peter explained. "Biology's not my specialty, so I can't say for sure. It would be the most likely explanation, though."

"You're probably right," Mary Jane realized as Ben came back into the room.

"Soup's on," he smiled. "You kids hungry?"

Mary Jane and Peter both smiled gratefully.

* * *

Montana was one of the Enforcers, the lieutenants who ran the day-to-day operations of the Kingpin's crime syndicate. He oversaw the 'quiet' industries of drug trafficking, prostitution and bookmaking, while Fancy Dan handled internal affairs and administration, and the Ox looked after enforcement and street violence. Very few people apart from the Enforcers knew who the Kingpin was, and in fact many people suspected there _was _no Kingpin, and that the Enforcers were the triumvirate who actually masterminded the organization.

In truth, the Kingpin liked it that way. Not only did he enjoy the mystique his goons attributed to him, thinking him all-seeing and all-knowing, he also appreciated law enforcement focusing their attention on his underbosses rather than going after the true mastermind.

Wilson Fisk was publicly known as head of Roxxon Incorporated, one of the world's very largest corporations. He certainly relished the immense financial and political power he wielded in that position, although he had never lost his affection for crime. After taking over Roxxon to use it for money laundering, he had eventually built both his corporation and his crime syndicate to the point where he was not only one of the most powerful businessmen in America, but also one of the most powerful criminals on the East Coast.

Tonight the Kingpin waited in his office to hear from Montana, who had absolutely insisted on seeing him as soon as possible. Normally the Kingpin did not appreciate being bothered unnecessarily, but he knew that Montana would never dare risk his wrath by arranging a meeting on the spur of the moment unless he had something very important to say. He leaned forward expectantly in his chair, his massive frame looming over the desk as Montana stepped into his office with a file folder in hand. Montana stepped forward, waiting patiently while the Kingpin lit a cigar, before sitting down when the Kingpin motioned him to do so.

"I presume you have news of importance?" the Kingpin asked.

"You bet I do," Montana said grimly as he tossed the folder onto the Kingpin's desk. As the Kingpin glanced through its contents, Montana continued.

"I double- and triple-checked everything with the hookers, the customers, the cops in our pocket, and all our own men. I got Ox and Fancy Dan to back it up, too. A lot of it is hearsay, but there's just too much of it to ignore."

"Indeed," the Kingpin muttered, his eyes narrowing as he checked the references. "I had no idea that Mr. Phillip Watson was attempting to play so many different sides at the same time."

"We haven't done anything about him yet, partly because he's still giving Silvermane and Bazin a hard time, and we figured you'd want us to leave him in play for that," Montana explained. "What do you want us to do?"

"Mr. Watson is responsible for this war," the Kingpin said after a moment. "His actions have cost me a considerable amount of revenue and unwarranted difficulty with the authorities, for no discernable reason. Such actions are intolerable, and deserve brutal, violent revenge."

"So which of our costumes do you want sent after him?" Montana asked.

"None of them," the Kingpin replied. "Rather, I want you and the Ox to spread the word of your findings throughout the streets. Let my competitors know that Mr. Watson is responsible for setting them against one another and playing off every side he can find. They will react appropriately."

Montana only grinned at his boss's cleverness. The Kingpin was always ready to take the direct approach when he had to, but he also enjoyed manipulating his enemies into destroying one another. Leading superheroes to harass his competitors was almost as much fun as using crooked police officers to take the heat off his own operations and direct it towards his rivals.

"You want to tell Ox and Dan, or should I?" Montana grinned wickedly.

"Come now, Montana," the Kingpin chided him, even as a truly frightening smile crossed his face. "You should know that I always reserve the finest honors for myself."

* * *

Uncle Ben's stew was just what Mary Jane needed, and she immediately felt a lot better. Peter seemed to be on the mend too, eagerly finishing up his second bowl before going for thirds.

"It's funny how many powers we actually share," Mary Jane said as Peter came back to the table. "I mean, we both climb walls, we both have superhuman strength, we both spin webs-"

"I can't spin webs like you do," Peter shook his head.

"Then how do you-" Mary Jane began.

"I make it with this special chemical formula I developed," Peter explained, "and I load it into these special web-shooters that I designed. Whenever my webbing runs out, I can just reload with spare cartridges I keep in my belt. I've even come up with a few variants on my usual formula, like making it non-conductive or really elastic. It's paid off when I've fought guys like Electro or Doctor Octopus."

"Wow," Mary Jane said in amazement. "Did you ever try patenting the formula? You could probably have made a fortune with that stuff!"

"I tried," Peter grumbled, his mood suddenly turning sour, "but the Trapster beat me to the punch."

"The who?" Mary Jane asked.

"He was a chemist who came up with this stuff called Adhesive X. It's a really powerful industrial glue, and he sold the formula to Osborn Industries. He made a huge fortune in royalty sales, and then he used that money to start his own company designing deathtraps and security systems for everyone from supervillains to government agencies," Peter sighed. "I'd originally intended to patent my spider-web formula, but by the time I'd perfected it the Trapster had already gotten Adhesive X out on the market and no one was interested. Typical Parker luck," Peter sighed.

"Oh," Mary Jane frowned sympathetically.

"Well, it's not so bad," Peter shrugged. "I mean, I can still use it as Spider-Man. I just wish it didn't cost so much."

"What costs a lot? Your chemicals?" Mary Jane asked.

"Yeah," Peter replied. "Both the chemicals for my webbing and my Spider Tracers cost a lot of money. It's why I have to work as a staff photographer _and _tech support at the _Daily Bugle, _and why I can only go to school on a scholarship," Peter frowned.

"Spider-tracers? You have pheromones too?" Mary Jane said in surprise.

"What? No, I modified these little electronic homing devices manufactured by ClarkeTech," Peter explained. "I'm not all that good at engineering, but Stuart Clarke's stuff's always been easy to work with. I tinkered with them until I managed to get them to run off my spider-senses. But what did you mean by pheromones?"

"I can mark people with special pheromones, and then I can track them afterwards. It's almost like I have a sixth sense for it-kind of like a 'spider-sense'," she explained.

Peter blinked in surprise.

"You have it too?" he blinked. "Mine acts like a danger sense. Say…your webbing is organic, isn't it?"

"Well…yeah, I guess," Mary Jane shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"You don't seem to be eating much more than anyone else," Peter frowned.

"…What does that have to do with anything?" Mary Jane wondered.

"Producing that much organic material should be requiring you to eat a lot more food than you normally would," Peter shook his head. "Did your appetite get a lot stronger after your powers started to develop?"

"No," Mary Jane said simply.

"You must have an amazing digestive system," Peter replied in amazement. "Your body shouldn't be able to produce all that webbing without needing a lot of extra nutrition. It probably consumes almost all the energy from the food you eat."

"…I'll take your word for it," Mary Jane replied after a few moments. "How about my hair and my eyes?" she asked, as she shifted her hair from red to black to blonde and her eyes from green to blue to brown. "All it takes is a thought, and I can change their color."

"That's easy," Peter grinned. "Some spiders can camouflage themselves as a disguise to protect themselves from predators. In our case, animal instinct meets human reasoning. It's just a defensive mechanism to keep anyone from discovering your identity."

"Go figure," Mary Jane chuckled.

* * *

"He did _what?_" Ben Reilly asked Kitty Pryde incredulously as they sat in the Coffee Bean.

"Uncle Andy threatened Mary Jane," Kitty said sadly. "I honestly don't understand why."

"Okay, this is just going too far," Ben muttered. "I mean, warning me about Mary Jane being a gold digger is one thing, but openly threatening her like that? If he felt that strongly about it, he should have told me."

"I honestly don't understand," Kitty shrugged. "I mean, what is it about her that bugs him that bad?"

"Uncle Steve thinks that she's two-faced, always pretending to be nice while only looking out for herself. Mom and Dad really seem to agree with him," Ben explained.

"Why would Uncle Steve care about it?" Kitty wondered.

"Apparently he used to know Phillip Watson," Ben replied, "and he came away with a really bad impression of Phillip. Think that might have something to do with it?"

"Yeah, but isn't this taking it a little far?" Kitty wondered. "I mean, why would Uncle Steve be so interested in the first place?"

"Good question," Ben furrowed his brow. "I'm going to ask them."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kitty cautioned him. "I mean, I don't want to get MJ in trouble. She's my friend."

"She's my friend too," Ben replied, an edge in his voice, "and I don't appreciate Mom and Dad trying to control who I can date. Besides, it's my choice, not theirs."

Kitty only sipped her latte, wondering just how Andrew and Karen Reilly could have gotten such a bad impression of Mary Jane to begin with.

* * *

"There's something I can't help but wonder," Mary Jane said after she'd helped Peter and Ben clear away the dishes. "When you got your powers, why did you decide to become a superhero? Why didn't you use them to make money, or something like that?"

Peter and Ben looked at one another.

"That's what I initially tried," Peter finally said. "With the way guys like Flash Thompson and Harvey Broxtel used to pick on me, I got really angry. When I realized I had my powers, I got cocky and I decided I could use them to make a lot of money that I could shove in the bullies' faces."

"I came up with my Spider-Man costume to use as a gimmick, and I entered this amateur mixed martial-arts tournament that promised a thousand dollars to anyone who could last three minutes with the champion. With my powers, I didn't even work up a sweat. I could have knocked the guy out, but I was having too much fun humiliating him. He reminded me of all the bullies who used to beat me up."

"So you got your money?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"No, the manager refused to pay me," Peter said. "The champion was his best friend, and I reduced the guy to a laughingstock. The manager said no one would ever take his friend seriously again, and that his career was just about ruined. I protested that I needed the money."

_"You forgot to mention why I should give a damn," the manager replied with a sneer. _

"I was arguing with the guy when another man ran past us. He'd robbed the manager's cash box, and taken all the money. I could have tripped the guy and caught him, but I was so angry that I just let him go. The manager tried to call me out on it, but I didn't care."

_"You forgot to mention why I should give a damn," Peter replied with a sneer. _

"And…then…" Peter put his head in his hands.

"I had to work the late shift that night, so my wife May was home alone that night," Uncle Ben picked up the story. "Someone broke into the house and tried to rob it while she was there. May tried to call 911, but the burglar shot her before he fled."

A pall fell over the room as Peter began breathing heavily, before rubbing his temples.

"When I got home, I found the police there and I saw Aunt May dead on the living room floor," Peter explained. "The police had tracked the burglar to an abandoned warehouse, but he was so high on coke that he got into a shooting frenzy whenever he saw anyone. That didn't matter-I was so angry, I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed some of the special web formula I'd hoped to patent, and some of the web-shooters I'd designed as applicators, and I went after the burglar myself."

"When I caught him, I realized it was the same crackhead I'd let go earlier that afternoon," Peter continue. "I could have stopped him, but I didn't…because I was so angry, so stupid…Aunt May…"

Mary Jane gasped in horror.

"Just because I didn't care," Peter steeled himself, "I let Aunt May be killed. That was when I learned that, when you have great power, you need to have great responsibility too. That's what Aunt May had always tried to teach me."

"Oh my God…" Mary Jane breathed. Her mind flashed back to the woman she'd saved from that burning building last Christmas, and how the nurse had told her afterwards of what May Parker had used to say.

"That's why I've kept going as Spider-Man," Peter finally said after a few moments. "I don't want to see anyone else suffer the same kind of loss I did, if I can help it. It's my way of honoring Aunt May's memory-if I have great power, I have a responsibility to use it the right way."

Mary Jane simply frowned and looked down.

"…So what about you?" Uncle Ben asked her gently. "How come you became a heroine?"

"I used to think I know, but now I'm not so sure," Mary Jane muttered.

"Well, what did you used to think?" Ben asked.

"I used to think I was a mutant when my powers started manifesting," Mary Jane explained. "And then I remembered how much my father hated mutants, and how much he hated superheroes. I thought about how much I could spite him if I was both."

"Spite him?" Peter asked incredulously.

"My father's always made me so angry," Mary Jane explained. "The way he treated my mother like a punching bag, the way he had affairs with other women who were almost as young as me, the way he used to always talk about how he would have rather had a son. The way he always portrayed himself as an upstanding pillar of the community, while I was learning first aid treating my mother's injuries and hiding her bruises with makeup. The way he tried to show himself off as a family man, before he kicked my mother and I out of the house when I was seventeen," she muttered darkly.

Now it was Peter's turn to gasp.

Mary Jane had always been involved in many different activities in school, ranging from cheerleading to drama, and had always been seen at the trendiest parties with the cutest boys on her arm, but everyone had always thought her to be so cold and haughty, looking available but remaining unobtainable. Everyone had always wanted to either be her or be with her, but her bad temper and supposedly arrogant manner had always kept people from being more than acquainted with her, her social status being due more to her physical beauty and her father's money than any real emotional attachments.

With the more limited social cliques in university, Mary Jane had begun sticking more closely to only a few personal friends, and rarely befriended anyone she hadn't already known from Midtown High. Even though they'd dated a couple of times, Peter had eventually become soured on Mary Jane when he thought she was too arrogant and short-tempered to be worth forming a long-term relationship with.

"I…never had any idea," Peter said in amazement. "But you became a costumed heroine just to spite your father?"

"Not exactly the most noble reason, I know," Mary Jane sighed. "Even worse was how violent I could get-I could have hurt a lot of people with the way I went after my enemies. Eventually, I realized how bad I was getting, so I stopped wearing my costume for a while."

"So, why did you keep doing it?" Uncle Ben asked.

"I honestly don't know," Mary Jane shrugged. "All I know is that I just can't help myself. Whenever I see something happen, I just have to get involved."

"You _have _to?" Uncle Ben blinked.

"It's like with my mother," Mary Jane explained. "Whenever my father beat her up, I always just felt so powerless. I mean, if I could have just been able to _do _something to protect her…"

"And that's why you keep at being a superheroine," Ben smiled. "You can't bear to see people suffering the same way, can you?"

"…I guess not," Mary Jane realized with a smile, before she felt a sudden weariness flood through her.

"I should really be going," she said as she got up with a stretch. "I could really use the rest."

"Wait!" Peter called out to her as she turned to go.

"What?" Mary Jane asked as she turned around again. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she assured him.

"Likewise with me," Peter nodded. "But what I wanted to say was, that if you ever need help with anything, or you ever even just need someone to talk to, just let me know and we'll be happy to help."

"Likewise with me," Mary Jane grinned, winking as she gave a thumbs-up to the Parkers, before making her way upstairs and out Peter's bedroom window to web-swing home.

**

* * *

**

Entry #6:

**The streets are running red with blood. **

**The city is at war. **

**New York's crime lords reveal themselves for the paranoid, desperate fools that they are. **

**The words I whisper in Phillip Watson's ear, the lies and the false rumors that I make him spread, show New York's ugly side. In their fear and suspicion, the people turn on one another, dropping their civilized facades as they display their true characters. **

**The devices I have planted in Phillip's computer and Phillip's telephone record every detail of the messages he receives, and transmit to him what he must say and what he must do. The gasses I subjected him to make him my puppet, uncompromising and fully obedient. **

**Once again, I have to reflect on the irony of using masks and manipulation to reveal the true colors of these pathetic fools. The pumpkin I wear reveals the truth about who I am, the fact that I do these things because I know that I'm not supposed to, because I enjoy the fun such activities bring me. But everyone else is just too scared to admit the truth about themselves, too frightened to acknowledge the darkness that lurks within them. **

**But now, everything is coming to a head. The crime lords are becoming aware that Phillip Watson is double- and triple-crossing them, and his whole house of cards is about to come crashing down around his head. **

**And then I will strike.**

**Ah, Mary Jane Watson...not a day goes by that I don't think about how much I hate you. How much I will make you suffer, how much I will make you weep, how much I will make you scream. **

**I have other, larger goals in mind, of course. But you, my dear Spider-Woman, still have a place in my cold, black heart. **

**Crushing you is going to be the most enjoyable part of all. **

(_**Next Issue:**_ As the New York gang lords realize that they have been played for fools by the double-crossing and triple-crossing Phillip Watson, they become determined to pay him back for manipulating them. While Spider-Woman tries to protect her father, the murderous Jack O'Lantern puts the final phase of his deadly plan into motion! All this and more in _Spider-Woman Annual #2: Hellfire At Midnight!)_


	27. Hellfire At Midnight

"_We all wear masks, Spider-Man. But which is real? The mask that covers your face…or the mask that __**is **__your face?" _

-**The Green Goblin,** _**The Spectacular Spider-Man**_

_I fold out the _Daily Bugle _and read with interest over the latest accounts of the gang war I've orchestrated. _

_Five more people are dead, and now my war has claimed twenty-seven lives. _

_Bazin and the Kingpin have both taken damage from this war, but the Maggia is bleeding from an open vein. Harassed by Bazin on one end, the police on a second front, and the Kingpin on a third front, Silvermane will be lucky if he lives out the month. Crimewave has been picking his shots carefully, eager to nip at the heels of Bazin and the Kingpin while they're otherwise occupied. The Green Goblin, oddly enough, seems to be staying out of the war entirely. _

_Perhaps the results aren't quite what I expected, but that was the beauty of my plan. _

_I already knew of Phillip Watson's ties to organized crime from the beginning, and I realized he would be the perfect stooge for my plan. Once I caught him with my special mind control gas, and installed the appropriate devices on his telephones and computers to monitor his conversations, he made the perfect puppet. _

_Once I had Phillip give me all his knowledge of the New York crime world, I began giving him orders on what to say and what to do. I knew the crime lords would react the way they did, given how paranoid they were and determined to crush any threats to their power bases._

_After that, all I had to do was sit back and watch as all hell broke loose. _

_No one knew I was ever involved, particularly since I took care to have my devices erase all records of my correspondence with Phillip. _

_Perhaps best of all, I've been able to keep track of Miss Mary Jane Watson. One of the boomerang bats I attacked Spider-Woman with when I battled her at the Plaza Hotel jabbed her in the back, injecting a tiny homing device into her body. With that homing tracer, I have been able to keep track of her movements. When I saw where she lived, I knew that she had to be Mary Jane. _

_Now, everything is coming to a head. _

_I smirk at the thought. _

_I have a chuckle. _

_I giggle a bit. _

_I start to laugh. _

_I find myself howling with glee. _

_Before I know it, my shrieks and cackles echo off the walls as I revel in the ecstasy, the pure joy, of my evil. _

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN ANNUAL #2

"HELLFIRE AT MIDNIGHT"

* * *

"How'd your family reunion go?" Mary Jane Watson asked Randy Robertson as they made their way towards the American Globe Theater to look at the final casting call for the colorblind production of _The Wiz _they had auditioned for. Randy had gone to attend a family reunion in Massachusetts, and he had just returned yesterday.

"Pretty good," Randy replied. "It started to wear thin after a few days, though."

"Why's that?" Mary Jane asked.

"Because I really don't know most of them," Randy replied. "I mean, how much can you say to an uncle who only met you a couple of times when you were little, and who you barely remember?"

"Good point," Mary Jane thought on that for a bit. "But why did you say the reunion went well when it began to get boring?"

"Mostly because it made my mom and her parents really happy," Randy grinned. "Mom moved out to New York when she married my dad and Grandpa Joe got him that job at the _Daily Bugle. _Mom doesn't get to see her relatives much anymore, and it meant a lot to her for us to meet them."

Mary Jane only grinned.

"So, I heard that Kitty and Kong are an item now!" Randy continued, changing the subject. "They're just about the last two people I would have expected to hook up."

"It's funny how things work, isn't it?" Mary Jane chuckled. "I mean, Kong's almost seven feet tall, and Kitty's barely over five."

"How tall are you?" Randy asked.

"About 5-foot-4," Mary Jane replied. "Speaking of which…how tall are you?" she asked with a wry grin.

"About 5-foot-11," Randy smiled back. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Mary Jane replied mischievously. "I was just noticing how much closer we are in height than Kitty and Kong."

Randy looked as though he was about to say something else, but then they had arrived at the American Globe Theater. Grinning back at her, he opened the door and held it for Mary Jane before following her in.

* * *

"Oh, yeah!" Randy cheered out loud, pumping his fist in victory as he looked over the casting list the director had posted. "I knew using Michael Jackson's movements would pay off!"

"Congratulations!" Mary Jane hugged him. "I knew you could do it!"

"This really means a lot to me," Randy smiled. "Ever since I saw Michael in this role, I knew I wanted to do it."

"Hey, I'm sure he'd be proud if he could see you," Mary Jane nodded.

Randy beamed with pleasure, feeling as proud as a new father, before a stray thought crossed his mind.

"Aren't you going to look, too?" he reminded Mary Jane.

"Well, I guess I could…" she shrugged, before going back to study the cast list. She blinked a couple of times in surprise, still not entirely believing that she'd made it.

"How'd you do?" Randy asked, before grinning as he saw that Mary Jane had been cast as Dorothy.

"Hey, way to go!" he grinned. "You…what's wrong?" he asked, noting the look on Mary Jane's face.

"…Is something wrong?" he asked in puzzlement.

"No, not really," Mary Jane replied. "I'm just shocked that I got the part."

"Why?" Randy wondered. "Your audition was great."

"I don't know about that," Mary Jane frowned. "My singing's never been as good as I'd like it to be."

"Come on," Randy scoffed. "You just need to have a little more confidence. Would the director have really cast you in the lead role if he hadn't liked your voice?"

"Well…I guess not…" Mary Jane finally smiled.

"That's my girl," Randy nodded. "You want to get some lunch after we go pick up our copies of the script?"

Mary Jane only grinned in reply.

* * *

Maddie Lieber-Watson took a considerable amount of time making her way towards the subway station, lost in thought as she made her way back to Anna Watson's townhouse. Ever since she'd begun seeing Dr. Lowenstein, she had insisted on making the trip by herself, refusing to let Anna or Anna's daughter Kristy accompany her.

Things had arguably changed more in the past six months than in the two years before that, after her ex-husband Phillip had kicked her and their daughter Mary Jane out of the house. She had divorced Phillip, then she, Anna and Kristy had been kidnapped by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before being rescued by Spider-Woman, and she had begun getting counseling from Dr. Lowenstein. Even Mary Jane seemed much happier and more outgoing than she used to be, mostly free of the anger she used to carry.

Walking past a storefront window, Maddie caught her reflection and stopped to stare at it for a moment, stunned by what she saw.

The woman who stared back at Maddie Lieber-Watson had eyes that shone much more brightly than she remembered, a serene expression on her face, and an air of determination.

It could have been Mary Jane's face.

* * *

Phillip Watson hadn't shaved for three days, and he hadn't slept for two. The constant flurry of phone calls and e-mails had left him with no time to rest, as he frantically relayed information to and from the New York crime syndicates and the police department. Everything was whirling around in his mind, as he repeated the messages he'd been given and faithfully carried out his orders.

The latest phone call came while he was in the middle of only the second meal he'd been able to eat. Phillip seethed in rage, even as his head pounded with a throbbing migraine. His hands shook with tension, and his stomach growled in hunger.

"What?" he shouted angrily into the phone, even as he felt the compelling orders he'd been given start to take control of him once again.

_"We've been doing some fact-checking, Phillip," _he heard the Ox's voice on the other end. _"We're not happy." _

"What the hell are you talking about?" Phillip demanded in an increasingly flustered tone.

_"You've been selling us out, you son of a bitch," _the Ox replied. _"You've been selling us out to the Maggia, you've been selling out the Maggia to the cops, you've been selling Bazin out to us. You've been playing everyone in this gang war for fools." _

Phillip felt his blood run cold.

"You're really fucking stupid, you know that?"he demanded, remembering his instructions to deny anyone who accused him of orchestrating the gang war. "I'd never pull that kind of shit!"

_"That's the best you can come up with?" _the Ox scoffed. _"Making pathetic denials and insulting me? You've really lost a step, Phillip-but then again, nothing's gone right for you ever since you were outed as an anti-mutant activist, has it?" _

"You shut your fucking mouth!" Phillip raged into the phone.

_"You lost just about all your clients, which meant that you lost a lot of money," _the Ox noted. _"Is that why you started playing us off against one another? Hoping to cash in by being everybody's friend? Thought everyone was too stupid to figure out what you were up to?" _

"Don't you fucking threaten me," Phillip snarled, even as his heart began pounding and he broke out in a cold sweat. "I'm going to go to the police, and-"

_"Oh, we're not going to do anything to you," _the Ox said sweetly. _"The Kingpin told us to simply spread the word about what you've been doing. I'm sure the police will be interested in all your dealings with the different crime syndicates. Oh, and I'm sure Silvermane, Philippe Bazin and Crimewave would all like a word with you at some point." _

Phillip had no response.

_"Finally at a loss for words?" _the Ox mocked him. _"Oh well, I'm sure you'll think of something appropriately insulting to say when karma catches up to you. Bye-bye now!" _

With that, the Ox hung up, leaving Phillip alone as he shuddered dreadfully.

_

* * *

_

The best fiction and the best stories are the ones that seem plausible and real, even if they're blatantly unlike our real world. The audience sees the main character as if he himself is a real person who acts and reacts on his own volition. The puppet dances and the viewers are attracted to him, ignoring the strings that they're never supposed to see. They accept the lies they're told as truth, and ignore the puppetmaster pulling the strings in the background.

_I continue scanning the news briefs and the exchanges Phillip Watson has with the crime syndicates. _

_The time's not yet right. _

_But it will be soon enough. _

_I feel the laughter starting up again. _

_I like it. _

* * *

"Dad?" Ben Reilly knocked on the door of his father's study as Andrew Reilly sat at his desk, working intently at the computer.

"What is it, Ben?" Andrew asked without looking up.

"Would you mind telling me why the hell you threatened my friend Mary Jane?" Ben demanded.

"She told you about that, did she?" Andrew asked ironically, looking up from his computer and pushing back from his desk. "I thought I told her to stay away from you."

"Mary Jane didn't tell me, Kitty did!" Ben shot back. "She and I want to know just what your problem is."

"The problem is that Mary Jane's not good enough for you," Andrew replied patiently as he stood up. "Superficial hypocrites like her are only interested in getting their talons into someone for their money, just like I told you. All she's concerned about is leaching whatever she can out of you, before she moves on to the next good deed."

"How'd you know about this, Dad?" Ben wondered, scratching his head in confusion. "You've never even met Mary Jane."

"Your Uncle Steve reminded your mother and I that she's the daughter of that Phillip Watson character," Andrew pointed out. "You remember, the one who bankrolls those anti-mutant bigots?"

"Yeah, but Mary Jane isn't involved with any of that crap," Ben answered. "She stuck up for Kitty after her dorm was vandalized, and helped her find a new place to stay. And besides, why's Uncle Steve so interested in my hanging out with Mary Jane? What's his problem, anyway?"

"He cares about you," Andrew replied. "Why would you be wondering about this?"

"Because I wouldn't be wondering if Uncle Steve could just let it go," Ben replied. "Why does he keep on harping about the Watsons? What did they ever do to him?"

That made Andrew pause for a moment.

"He said he used to know Phillip Watson," Andrew replied after a moment's thought. "Maybe something happened then. But what does it matter? He's just concerned about you, just like your mother and I!"

"Does that extend to threatening the women I date?" Ben demanded. "I mean, what the hell's that supposed to accomplish?"

"Ben, we're just trying to look out for you," Andrew frowned reproachfully at his son. "You don't know what girls like that are like."

"And you apparently don't seem to know that I'm not a little kid anymore," Ben replied, a twinge of anger in his voice. "I mean, I can make these decisions myself!"

"No, Ben…" Andrew shook his head in exasperation. "You don't understand. Girls like Mary Jane Watson are hypocrites who don't give a damn about anyone but themselves. All they care about is making themselves look good and having everyone love them. They don't really care about you."

Ben only shook his head in confusion and frustration.

"But…Dad…" he tried to protest.

"Trust me, Ben," Andrew said, more gently this time. "We just want to help, is all."

"…I guess…" Ben mumbled in reply, although his head was still spinning with the clashing differences between what his parents and uncle were telling him about Mary Jane, and what he'd actually seen of her.

_

* * *

_

Oh, I hope Mary Jane is watching the news right now!

_They've just announced-Phillip Watson is being wanted for questioning in many of the incidents related to the gang war. The crime lords are no doubt attempting to track him down now too. _

_Too bad he went into hiding. _

_Too bad I know where to find him, what with my planting a tracking device on him just like I planted on his daughter. _

_The time has come. _

_Everything I've been working for, has come up to this moment. _

_I stare at the pumpkin, and the pumpkin stares back at me. _

_The laughter starts again. _

* * *

Mary Jane had just finished her lunch and was eager to get started on reviewing the script she'd been given by Mr. Ferguson, the play's director. Turning on her laptop computer, she connected to the Internet and was about to set it to play on her favorite satellite radio station when she saw the news.

Her browser had set a local community news site as its default webpage. Mary Jane liked it because it not only kept her up to date on everything from the weather reports to local traffic, but it also had plenty of announcements on the local theater scene. It also conveyed crime news, which had become more important to her since she had begun fighting crime as Spider-Woman.

The featured headline story was about her father Phillip, which caused Mary Jane's heart to briefly skip a beat. Horrified, she clicked on the link and began reading about her father's apparent involvement in starting the gang war, double- and triple-crossing the city's crime lords. Mary Jane felt increasingly sick as she read through the article, although she wasn't particularly surprised. She even felt a certain satisfaction when she noted that the police wanted to take him in for questioning.

The next paragraph made her change her mind, however.

_"It's imperative that we find Mr. Watson as soon as possible," Captain George Stacy, head of the New York Police Department's Organized Crime Unit, was quoted as saying at a press conference. I have no doubt that the crime syndicates will be looking to punish him. _

Images of everything Phillip Watson had done passed through Mary Jane's mind, before she shuddered. Her spider-senses began tingling, and she knew that if she wanted to, she could find him.

_Why the hell should I care, after everything he's done? _Mary Jane thought bitterly. _If…he's…_

She couldn't think like that.

_Whatever else he's done, he's still my father, _Mary Jane nodded determinedly, as she went into her bedroom and began changing costume. _He's going to pay for everything he's done, but he'll do it in court. Everyone he ever hated-mutants, corporate rivals, his family-he tried to break and destroy. _

_I became a superheroine to prove I was better than my father, _she thought with a final breath, as she slipped her Spider-Woman mask over her face.

_This is where I prove it, _she realized as she crept to the window and sprang out into the afternoon light.

* * *

Days without sleep or food had taken a dreadful toll on Phillip Watson, as had the crippling tension and stress that consumed his mind. Reeking of alcohol and stale sweat, his face was covered with several days' worth of stubble and marked with a deathly pale complexion. Hiding out in a two-bit fleatrap of a motel, Phillip could feel his entire life crashing down around him.

From the moment he'd been outed as an anti-mutant activist, everything had begun to fall apart. Going from one of New York's most well-known investors and businessmen to being forced to work for the New York crime syndicates to now being reduced to living like a bum once his double-dealing had caught up with him.

Why in God's name had he thought he could play the crime lords off against each other? What had he hoped to accomplish? Did he honestly think they wouldn't realize what he was doing? How did he expect to get away with it all?

He was still wracking his brain, worn down by panic, stress and sleeplessness when the door to his motel room was blown open. Standing there in the doorway was his worst nightmare. The ghoulish figure was clad in dark green body armor, wearing gloves and boots that resembled ghastly skeletal limbs, a chestplate covered in what looked like tiny skulls. Perhaps worst of all, it bore a flaming, burning pumpkin for a head that grinned at Phillip with a smile borne from the depths of hell.

_"Hello, Phillip!" _the creature rasped, seemingly to smile behind his implacable mask. _"I was wondering where you'd gotten to!" _

"You…you…" Phillip stammered, almost beside himself with fear.

_"Yes…yes!" _Jack O'Lantern laughed triumphantly. _"You've been a very naughty boy, Mr. Watson, and the city's crime lords have decided that you should be disciplined. In other words…you're fired!" _

Giggling hysterically at his joke, Jack O'Lantern fired his wrist lasers at Phillip, who screamed and dodged them as best he could. The blasts tore deep scorch marks into the walls, even as Phillip scrambled under the bed. Jack O'Lantern easily stepped into the room and flipped the bed over with a flick of his wrist, before laughing again at his helpless prey.

_"I've got to say, Phillip…" _Jack O'Lantern trailed off, _"you've been a pleasure to watch. Like I said, you were always a master at hiding your true self behind a civilized veneer…but that's all gone now, isn't it? Now, I finally see you for what you really are, a pathetic, sniveling wretch who never deserved everything he'd gained in the first place." _

It was impossible to tell if there was a man or a woman behind that pumpkin, as Jack O'Lantern's height was such that he could have been either a normal-sized man or a tall woman. His voice crackled and rasped, sounding as if it came from a cancer or burn victim. His limbs were not especially bulky, and again could easily have been those of a well-developed man or woman, belying the immense strength they contained.

Jack would have continued, except that he whirled around and ran back outside expectantly, firing one of his wrist blasters. The laser deflected the sting blast of the figure swinging down to him on a webline, namely that of the spectacular Spider-Woman.

_"And here I was afraid you wouldn't show up!" _Jack O'Lantern cackled as he activated his skull-ringed hover platform and jumped onto it. _"Would this occasion be complete without the one person I hate most in all the world?"_

So saying, he sent a flurry of boomerang bats flying at Spider-Woman, who only let go of her webline as she dodged, spun through the air and landed on her feet. Running towards the door of the motel room, she tried to get between Phillip Watson and Jack O'Lantern, blasting the pumpkin bomb Jack threw at her and causing it to explode in midair. Racing up the front wall of the motel, Spider-Woman leapt into the air and sprang at Jack O'Lantern, who spun out of the way on his hover disc. Half-expecting the move, Spider-Woman caught his hover disc with a webline and swung Jack around as she plummeted back to earth, brutally slamming him into the ground.

Howling in pain, Jack O'Lantern was no longer amused. He tossed another pumpkin bomb at Spider-Woman, who blew it up once again. Unfortunately, Jack had been expecting that move, and as the grenade exploded it released dozens of tiny shrapnel blades, which tore into Spider-Woman and left bleeding cuts all across her body. As she staggered, Jack O'Lantern blasted her once with his left wrist blaster and then once with his right wrist blaster, before blowing her off her feet with a double shot. Catching her wit h a ghost grabber, Jack dragged Spider-Woman across the parking lot before raking her across the back and stomach with his talons. Tossing her into a car at the far end of the parking lot, Jack turned his back on Spider-Woman and went back into the motel room to look for Phillip.

Noting that his prey had already broken the window in the back wall and escaped that way, Jack merely took to the air again on his hover disc and flew into the air to see which way Phillip had run.

* * *

Spider-Woman's entire body burned with pain as she struggled to her feet, but she forced herself to get up. She had expected some sort of assassin, either an ordinary gunman or a costumed supervillain, to come after her father, but Jack O'Lantern was the absolute last one she'd wanted to see.

Running across the parking lot and right up the front wall of the motel, Spider-Woman saw her father running through the alley behind the building. Unfortunately, Jack O'Lantern was in hot pursuit, tossing grenades at Phillip that deliberately fell short, heightening his prey's fear. Catching her webline on a nearby telephone pole, Spider-Woman leapt off the roof and caught Jack O'Lantern square in the back with a vicious swing kick. The pumpkin-headed lunatic went flying off his hover disk and crashed into the brutal, unforgiving pavement below, screaming in anger and pain.

Jack was on his feet in an instant. Tossing a pumpkin grenade at Phillip, Jack nodded in satisfaction as the bomb exploded in a pile of sticky goo that clung to Phillip's legs, rooting him to the spot. Whirling around to face Spider-Woman, he rolled out of the way of her sting blasts before taking her down with a double blast from his wrist lasers. As she tried to get up, Jack charged in and began pummeling her from every conceivable angle.

One moment he was kicking her in the face, the next moment he drove his elbow into her spine. One moment he was raking her legs with his claws, the next he was punching her in the stomach. Jack flipped, twirled and spun with kicks, fists, rakes, elbows and knees that left Spider-Woman in a bloodied and beaten heap on the ground. As she groaned and tried to roll over, Jack O'Lantern picked her up by her neck, his depraved pumpkin face staring into her own.

"_Let this be a lesson to you, little girl," _Jack O'Lantern hissed to Spider-Woman, who could only struggle feebly. _"Your laughable, miserable attempts to protect two-faced hypocrites like Phillip Watson only lead to more suffering and death. You waste your power defending these pathetic wretches, and you represent everything-EVERYTHING-I hate about this world!"_

"_You force me to wear this mask so I can reveal what I really am, force me to hide my true self behind a wall of bullshit! When I try to have some fun, a little terror or murder, you get in my way. And for what? Just so the people you try to help can continue looking down their noses at anyone who actually embraces their true nature, anyone who wants to do what they're not supposed, to anyone who tries to __**live?**__ You, and people like you, make me sick." _

"_I could kill you now," _Jack O'Lantern continued, _"but I won't. Let this be a lesson to anyone who tries to get in the way of someone who actually tries to become what they really are inside." _

With that, he dropped Spider-Woman contemptuously, before restraining her with a ghost grabber so she could not escape. He turned her around before he did that, so she could hear but not see what was to come.

_

* * *

_

Once my work is done, I turn around and make my way back to where Phillip Watson has been lying. Tears are running down his cheeks, even though he's too paralyzed by fear to speak. He struggles against the glue, even though he knows he can't possibly escape.

_I look around to see that no one is watching, and I see that there's no one in sight. That's good-I want this to be a private moment. _

_"Look at me, Phillip," I snarl, even as Phillip does that. _

_"You see what I am?" I demand. _

_He nods. _

_"This is what I really am, underneath it all. This is what most people are, even if they're too cowardly to admit it. It sickens me that I have to wear a mask to show my true nature, and to do the things that I want. I want to kill someone, and I have to wear a mask so I'm not arrested. I want to make someone scream, I need to disguise my voice. I want to traumatize someone, and people keep getting in the way of my fun," I explain, my voice full of contempt. _

_"Who…are you?" Phillip asks, seemingly resigned to his fate. _

_"You really want to know?" I grin eagerly, before I scan the area again and find no signs of life besides myself and the Watsons. _

_"Alright then," I smile, as I neutralize the holographic flames and open my mask. "Do you like what you see?" I chuckle, as Phillip Watson sees the face behind the pumpkin. _

_"…__**YOU**__?" he exclaims in horror. "But…how…this can't be…"_

_"Of course it can," I chide Phillip as I close my mask and restart the holographic flames. "I just illustrated my own point perfectly well." It's then that I burn Phillip free of the goo he's trapped in, before pulling him to his feet. _

_Phillip seems too dazed with shock to reply. _

_"Now, let me reinforce my original statement," I continue, as I place one of my wrist blasters over his heart. "I rather enjoy this sort of thing, particularly since I'm evil. I know I'm not supposed to do it, but that's the whole point, isn't it?" _

_With that, my wrist blaster punches through Phillip Watson's chest, destroying his heart, and leaving a wide, gaping hole in his body. As he falls limp in my arms, I let him go, laughing again as he slumps down dead on the ground. Rolling him over, I retrieve my tracking device from his back, so it won't be found by the coroner. _

_I turn around and retrieve my ghost grabber from Spider-Woman, freeing her. As a final flourish, I reactivate my hover disk and fly off into the sunset. _

_My laughter lingers on the breeze, no doubt echoing in Spider-Woman's ears long after I'm gone. _

Jack O'Lantern's sick, depraved laughter echoed in Spider-Woman's ears as she slowly, painfully crawled towards the limp body of her father. Every movement was pure screaming agony, whether because of her large black and blue bruises, her bleeding cuts and gashes, or her laser burns and shocks. She felt ready to faint from the pain, but she stubbornly continued on to reach her father.

And then she felt ready to faint all over again when she saw the hole burned clear through her father's chest, to the point where she could see the pavement he was lying on. Even more striking than the fact that Phillip Watson was dead was the look of pure horror on his face, making him look as if he'd seen a ghost. Spider-Woman shuddered at the expression, and it took every bit of willpower she had to avoid vomiting.

Slowly, painfully, she began to drag her father towards the main office for the motel to call for the police and an ambulance.

Spider-Woman's mind whirled with shock, horror and grief.

_**

* * *

**_

Later that night…

The news was bad, very bad, for Silvermane. Bullseye, the supposedly A-list costumed assassin he'd hired to defend his holdings, had been killed by 8-Ball, the Kingpin's supposedly C-list lackey. The police were breathing down his neck over the Judge Baylor hit. Sabertooth and Boomerang had murdered every one of his underbosses. The other crime lords had each hacked and looted at least one of the Maggia's bank accounts, and the police had seized most of the others. Some of his men were defecting to Crimewave, who'd stayed strategically out of the war, while others were defecting to Phillipe Bazin, who after his early setbacks had dug in and begun regaining ground.

Screams, gunshots and explosions filled the air through the double doors to Silvermane's office as most of his few remaining thugs tried to protect their boss. Despite the impending disaster, Silvermane had to give them credit-even though the Maggia was on the verge of collapse, they were staying with him to the very end.

Finally, the last death cry rang out, and the double doors were blown open. Jack O'Lantern strode into the room, seeming to have a look of triumph on his face even though that sickening pumpkin grin never changed. Behind him in the hallway, Silvermane could see the blood and corpses that marked Jack's depraved handiwork.

_"You're Silvermane, right?" _Jack rasped sweetly. _"It's a pleasure." _

"You're that Jack O'Lantern guy, right?" Silvermane asked, leaning forward as calmly as if he were in a boardroom meeting. "Who sent you? Crimewave, Bazin or the Kingpin?"

_"None of the above," _Jack scoffed. _"I'm just someone who's out for a good time." _

"A fun time, huh?" Silvermane rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I get it-you're one of those guys who commits crimes as much for fun as for profit?"

_"A fair, if incomplete, assessment," _Jack nodded. _"I do, of course, possess larger and greater goals in this life, although the pursuit of pleasure is in fact a major part of what I do." _

"Larger goals?" Silvermane replied. "Well, seeing as how I'm a dead man walking and all, would you care to elaborate?"

_"A…dead man walking?" _Jack asked in wry amusement, seeming to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Silvermane replied. "Since I take it you're probably going to kill me anyway, why don't you tell me what your larger goals are?"

_"Fair enough," _Jack O'Lantern seemed to smirk. _"I'm what you might call a truly fulfilled person. I embrace what I am and I'm not afraid to show it. I'm a monster. And I will show the world just what it means to be a monster in this new age, someone who is evil, who embraces the fact that he or she is evil, and is not afraid to show it." _

"You learn something new every day," Silvermane chuckled. "I take it you've already started to make your mark by killing everyone left in my organization?"

_"Just about," _Jack nodded. _"You're the last member of the Maggia still alive. And I have to say, you're handling this with remarkable dignity. Most of my victims tend to scream, cry or beg for mercy." _

"Hey, I'm a crime boss," Silvermane pointed out. "People in my profession don't typically die peacefully in bed. I was always wondering who'd do me in-would it be one of my underbosses? An ambitious family member? A supervillain that another syndicate sent after me? One of my own supervillain hires who decided to turn on me?"

_"Congratulations, then," _Jack O'Lantern remarked sardonically. _"You get to be the first symbol of what I represent, the tides and the change that are coming." _

"Can't say fairer than that," Silvermane shrugged. "How are you going to do it?"

_"One straight wrist blast, right between the eyes?" _Jack offered.

"Go to it, you bastard," Silvermane replied, before Jack did just that.

Alerted by Jack O'Lantern, the police arrived soon after to find the slaughter and death the pumpkin-headed monster had left in his wake.

(_**Next Issue: **_Even as Mary Jane tries to recover from her physical injuries, she also tries to come to terms with the murder of her father Phillip. While Mary Jane finds support for her efforts in the most unlikely of places, the murderous Jack O'Lantern follows up on his deadly advantage and begins to put his true plans into action! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #25: From The Ashes!)_


	28. From The Ashes

_**This is the story of a girl,**_

_**Who cried a river and drowned the whole world…**_

-Nine Days

After her disastrous failure to stop Jack O'Lantern from killing her father Phillip Watson, the spectacular Spider-Woman had been left for dead by her crazed archenemy, beaten and bloodied by an enemy against whom she was hopelessly outclassed. Spider-Woman had managed to call the police and an ambulance, who took away Phillip's body and began treating her injuries. It had been touch and go for several hours, as the paramedics found that Spider-Woman was even worse off than she'd thought. It was only because she was too weak to keep the paramedics from restraining her that Spider-Woman agreed to stay as long as she did, and they'd protested heatedly once she'd regained enough of her strength to webswing away.

She proceeded almost by instinct, web-slinging back to her apartment even as she tried to get the gruesome images out of her head. Once in her bedroom, Spider-Woman carefully took some of her street clothes and began ripping and scorching them, taking care to make the damage resemble her injuries. Checking her clock radio, she realized she only had a few minutes before Kitty came home from work, and hastily changed out of her tattered and burned costume and into her scorched and ripped street clothes.

Mary Jane Watson's eyes became green and her hair became red as she hid her costume and staggered out of her bedroom. The actions she had to take to keep up her secret identity were second nature to her now, instinct taking over whenever she needed it.

That instinct finally wore off, as Mary Jane simply collapsed on the couch, trying somehow to deal with the grief that was welling up inside her.

She tried.

And she failed.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #25

"FROM THE ASHES"

_**

* * *

**_

How many days in a year?

_**She woke up with hope but she only found tears? **_

_**How many days disappear, **_

_**When you look in the mirror how do you choose? **_

Kitty Pryde gave a weary sigh as she stepped off the bus and entered her apartment building, glad to finally be home after a long day at work. Her mouth watering at the prospect of a good home-cooked meal, she hummed under her breath as she made her way upstairs and came to the door to her apartment. Glancing around and realizing she was alone, Kitty impishly grinned and used her phasing powers to pass through the locked door without opening it. While she didn't have any particular use for her mutant powers, she still had fun playing with them every now and again.

All her thoughts instantly vanished when she heard the quiet sobbing. Alarmed, Kitty ran into the apartment and gasped as she saw Mary Jane sitting on the couch with her head in her hands, weeping. That would have been unpleasant enough, but Kitty was horrified at Mary Jane's physical injuries. Beaten to within an inch of her life, Mary Jane looked even worse than she sounded, not seeming to notice Kitty as she continued crying.

"Oh my God!" Kitty exclaimed in horror, running forward as she sat down next to Mary Jane. Gently patting Mary Jane on the shoulder, Kitty began hugging her as she looked up, her eyes both red from crying and blackened from her physical injuries. "What happened, MJ? What on Earth happened to you?"

The haunted, dead look in Mary Jane's eyes sent shivers down Kitty's spine. When she spoke, Mary Jane's voice was a hollow croak.

"I was caught in a supervillain attack," she mumbled. "I had to go to the hospital for treatment, and while I was there…I…heard…"

"…MJ?" Kitty asked gently.

"My…father…" Mary Jane breathed. "He…was…"

She couldn't hold back the tears any more.

Kitty merely held Mary Jane, brushing her hair back from her face and trying to reassure her. Looking around, she saw Mary Jane's cell phone on the table in front of them, and picked it up with her free hand. It had several messages, no doubt from Mary Jane's family trying to let her know what had happened to Phillip.

Dialing the Watson residence herself, Kitty only heard one ring before someone answered.

_"MJ?" _Kristy Watson asked on the other end. _"Thank God you finally got back to us! Have you heard-" _

"Hello, Kristy," Kitty interrupted her.

_"…Kitty?" _Kristy asked in confusion. _"What's going on? Where's Mary Jane? Is she-" _

"She's here with me," Kitty replied, "and she's in no shape to speak to anyone right now. She got caught in the middle of a supervillain attack, and she got hurt really badly. And she's heard about her father."

_"Oh, no…" _Kristy gasped. _"Hang on, I'm coming right over-" _

"No," Kitty replied firmly. "We're coming to see you. Mary Jane needs you guys right now, so we'll be there as soon as we can."

_"How are you going to get here?" _Kristy asked.

"I've got it covered," Kitty assured her. "Just let your mother and your aunt know what's happening."

_"Got it," _Kitty replied determinedly. _"See you soon," _she replied, before hanging up.

Hanging up Mary Jane's phone and putting it in her pocket, Kitty retrieved her own phone, and hastily dialed another number.

"Randy?" Kitty asked. "Yeah, I…No, look, I don't have time to talk! How soon can you get down here in your car?...Yes, it's an emergency…Yeah, thanks."

Hanging up once again, Kitty simply went back to holding Mary Jane, who never stopped weeping.

_**

* * *

**_

And I can be so insincere,

_**Making her promises never for real!**_

_**As long as she stands there waiting,**_

_**Wearing a hole in the soles of her shoes!**_

Ben Reilly felt sick to his stomach as he read the article on the _Daily Bugle _website, which described Phillip Watson's fate in gruesome detail. He could only imagine what poor Mary Jane was going through, especially after everything his father had said to her.

Just thinking about it made Ben sick to his stomach, but then he remembered everything his father and his uncle had told him about the Watson family.

Shaking his head in frustration, trying to make sense of it all, Ben picked up his phone and dialed a number.

_"Hello?" _Ben's uncle, Steven Mark Levins, replied on the other end.

"Uncle Steve!" Ben replied. "Did you hear about what happened to that Phillip Watson guy?"

_"Something about his being killed, right?" _Steve replied. _"What was all that about?" _

"He was apparently murdered by some supervillain," Ben explained. "God, Mary Jane must be a wreck right now."

_"Probably," _Steve nodded. _"But why, exactly, are you calling me? I already heard about Phillip's death." _

"Well, I just couldn't help but wonder about what he was like," Ben replied. "Remember when you were telling me about how you used to know him?"

_"Yeah," _Steve recalled. _"He was a two-faced hypocrite. He put on this upstanding facade, and everyone bought into it. So did I, before I got to know him for real." _

"That's what I was curious about," Ben explained. "If you ever have some free time, do you think you could tell me exactly what happened between you guys?"

_"I can tell you right now, if you want," _Phillip offered. _"I'm just getting caught up on some engineering work." _

"I'd really appreciate it," Ben replied.

_

* * *

_

Both Justin Hammer's name and appearance matched his reputation in the business world. His craggy face seemed permanently marked with a flint-edged scowl, and his eyes were cold ice blue. His crew-cut iron-gray hair and thick muscles hearkened back to his days in the military, although nowadays he was better known as the president, chairman, CEO and owner of Hammer Industries, one of the world's major technological companies. Sitting at the head of the boardroom table, he gazed over the other executives and engineers the way a king would survey his courtiers.

_"I have no doubt that you'll find our equipment most worthwhile," Hammer noted approvingly as he looked over the contract drafted by Phillip Watson, who sat at the other end of the table and was one of the only people not completely cowed by the powerful tycoon. "I've invited Mr. Levins, one of our finest engineers, to highlight some of our best products." _

_Steven Mark Levins was both concise and precise, going into great depth about Hammer's offerings while also using language that laymen could understand. Watson appeared mightily impressed, until Steven began explaining the changes the company had made to expand its market base._

_"One of the developments we're most proud of is our ability to process custom-made orders of our products to fit almost anyone of any size, strength or even shape," he grinned. "Some of our mutant customers have difficulty using our standard products because of their unique biological traits, so we've responded by developing special orders made to their specifications. Thanks to our new processes, we can do it at a very reasonable price, too." _

_The wide smile vanished from Phillip Watson's face the moment Steven said those words. Justin Hammer, who had sat stone-faced throughout Steve's entire presentation, raised an eyebrow. _

_"…So you do a lot of business with the muties, then?" he asked. _

_"Well…er…I don't really handle that side of…" Steve stammered, not sure how to answer the question, before looking back helplessly at Hammer. _

_"Of course we serve mutant customers," Hammer replied for him, staring intently at Watson. "We'll serve anyone who pays our price." _

_"I can't believe this…" Phillip muttered, glaring back at Hammer. "Just how much money do you get off those…freaks?" _

_"Enough," Hammer replied. "And I'm surprised you're bringing this up, Mr. Watson." _

_"Goddamn…" Phillip muttered, shaking his head as his face flushed with anger. "I just can't…how can you deal with those monsters?" he demanded again. _

_"They want to buy, and I want to sell," Hammer replied calmly. "And I must say, I'm surprised you're putting so much stock into this fact. From everything I've heard, your support of mutant registration is merely out of concern for the dangers that their abilities present to the public." _

_"It's more than that, Hammer," Watson said, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "See, they don't know their place. They think they'll be able to tell us what to do. They think they'll be able to breed with us. They think they'll be able to own the goddamn country. Is that what you really want?" _

_The reaction around the table was decidedly mixed. A number of people seemed as if they agreed with Watson, while others looked distinctly unnerved by his words. Hammer, however, simply remained impassive. _

_"That's not the issue here," he said bluntly. "I thought you wanted to meet to discuss business, not politics." _

_It was only with a very visible effort that Phillip Watson managed to get himself to focus on the details of his client's purchases from Hammer Industries. _

* * *

"…My God," Ben said in horror. "You saw all that?"

_"Unfortunately, yes," _Steve replied. _"I asked him about it afterwards, and he said that he'd be happy to see every mutant put in camps." _

Ben suddenly felt even sicker to his stomach.

"You mean…Kitty…" he mumbled.

_"Now you see why your father didn't want you getting involved with his daughter," _Steve explained. _"I honestly don't know what to think of that Mary Jane girl." _

"Yeah, but she helped Kitty," Ben persisted.

_"But who knows how much of that was sincere, and how much of it was her trying to cover for her father's actions?" _Steve pointed out.

"…I'll keep that in mind," Ben finally said after a few moments. "Thanks."

_"Anytime," _Steve assured him. _"But I've got to go now, so I'll see you around?" _

"You bet," Ben replied as he hung up.

Inwardly, however, he was fuming.

His parents and Uncle Steve had no idea what the hell they were talking about. They accused Mary Jane of being a lying hypocrite just like her father, they threatened her for dating him, and they talked down to him as if he was some stupid little kid for being interested in her.

His mind made up, Ben decided that he didn't give a rat's ass what they thought about Mary Jane.

Nodding in determination, he went for the door.

_**

* * *

**_

Now how many days disappear

_**When you look in the mirror,**_

_**How do you choose?**_

* * *

When Randy Robertson had gotten the call from Kitty, he'd known that something serious was going on. Navigating through rush hour downtown traffic was not his idea of a fun time, but he'd been afraid something like this would happen for quite a while.

He'd already heard from his friends at the _Daily Bugle _about the death and chaos caused by the gang war-parents who had to bury their children, livelihoods destroyed, people who lost their sight, their hearing or even their ability to walk. Supervillains and gangbangers ran amuck as the streets ran red with blood. For all that the gang war seemed to be winding down, the damage had been done.

Too much had been lost already.

Finally, after parking the car and making his way up to Kitty and Mary Jane's apartment, Randy entered the apartment. He found exactly what he'd been afraid of- Mary Jane covered in bandages, bruises and half-healed scars, her skin deathly pale and her eyes flushed a deep red from crying. Kitty sat next to her, a look of relief on her face as he came into the room.

"…MJ?" he asked in horror. "Kitty, what the hell happened?"

Kitty didn't reply at first, taking the time to help Mary Jane to her feet.

"We need to get Mary Jane home," Kitty finally said. "Here, come and help me."

Gently, Randy took Mary Jane into his arms, helping her to the door as Kitty followed behind them.

"MJ?" he whispered gently once they were in the hallway, while Kitty locked the apartment and ran to catch up.

"…Randy?" she finally said after a few moments, her voice barely more than a whisper itself. "You…came…"

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "Just let us handle it."

Mary Jane only smiled gratefully in response.

_**

* * *

**_

Well your clothes never wear as well the next day,

_**And your hair never falls in quite the same way,**_

_**But you never seem to run out of things to say…**_

* * *

Mary Jane's Aunt Anna, cousin Kristy and mother Maddie Watson had been trying to reach Mary Jane ever since they'd heard the news, and it was with a palpable sense of relief that they heard that Kitty and Randy were bringing her over. While they'd taken the news of Phillip Watson's death hard, they became more concerned about Mary Jane once they heard how badly she'd been hurt by whatever supervillain's attack she'd been caught up in.

When she arrived at Anna's townhouse, still leaning on Randy's shoulder, Mary Jane only smiled weakly.

"Hey, everyone," she finally said, still in something of a daze. "Thanks…for…"

Anna was about to speak up, but to everyone's surprise, Maddie beat her to the punch.

"Not another word," Maddie said firmly in a voice that brooked no argument. "You're going to let me have a look at those bruises, and then you're going to get some rest. Anna, you've got some ointment and a first aid kit, right?"

"In the upstairs bathroom," Anna nodded. "Do you want to-"

"No, not right now," Maddie reassured her, as she took Mary Jane's hand in her own and began leading her upstairs. "Please don't misunderstand," she said, looking back at her daughter's friends and relatives, "but Mary Jane needs a few moments right now, okay?"

"Do you need help with taking care of her?" Kitty asked

"No, I have plenty of experience with first aid," Maddie shook her head grimly. "Phillip certainly gave me the chance for a lot of practice."

* * *

Once she'd retrieved the first aid kit, Maddie led her daughter into the bedroom and lay her down gently on the bed, before shutting the door behind them. Opening the kit, she began examining Mary Jane's bruises, sprains and cuts, gently treating them and applying fresh bandages the way Mary Jane had done for her so many times before.

"…Mom?" Mary Jane asked.

"Yes?" Maddie asked, brushing Mary Jane's hair back as she rubbed some ointment on her cheek.

"I…I'm so sorry…" Mary Jane mumbled, tears welling up in her eyes again. "This is all my fault…I've let everyone down…I've got to…" she tried to rise, but Maddie pushed her back down on the bed.

"Mary Jane, listen to me," Maddie replied firmly "You've done far more than anyone could have ever asked you to. You helped me get my life back on track. You helped Kitty find a place to stay. You helped Liz and Harry get back together. You tried to help Marie-Ange Colbert. You tried to help save your father from himself. Now it's my turn to help you."

"But…I…" Mary Jane breathed, her head still pounding with guilt. "I…failed…"

"And what about all the times you succeeded?" Maddie replied gently. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

Mary Jane didn't reply.

"Of course it does," Maddie continued. "That's always been the thing with our family-we let our emotions get the better of us. We spend so much time worrying about the bad that we forget about the good we've done."

"…I know," Mary Jane replied after a few minutes. "But every time I try to tell myself that, I keep remembering everything I've screwed up. I couldn't…" she trailed off.

"Mary Jane, don't blame yourself," Maddie told her. "Your father made his own mistakes. And it was this Jack O'Lantern, whoever he is, that did this to him."

"You don't understand…" Mary Jane began.

"Yes, I do," Maddie insisted. "Everything you do-and I mean _everything_-has been because you couldn't stand to see people being bullied or hurt, right? Even people like your father?"

"…No," Mary Jane shook her head. "Even after everything he's done, I couldn't just leave him…"

"That's why you push yourself so hard, isn't it?" Maddie realized. "Everything you saw your father do to me, to us…you just wish there was something you could have done, don't you?"

"Yeah," Mary Jane nodded. "I just felt so helpless…so…powerless…"

"And that's why you do it now," Maddie smiled. "Why you keep doing it. It's a part of you, isn't it?"

"I don't know," Mary Jane shook her head. "I just can't help myself."

"And you've done a lot more than you realize," Maddie pointed out with a smile. "If it wasn't for you, I never would have gotten the help I needed. You've helped all your friends out in so many different ways, and now they just want to return the favor."

Mary Jane brightened, as color started to return to her cheeks.

"Like I said, we often forget the good when we think too much about the bad," Maddie pointed out. "But I don't want you to ever forget how proud I am of you. You've helped a lot more people than you'll ever know, especially me. Please remember that."

"Thank you," Mary Jane smiled, as she hugged her mother tightly.

_**

* * *

**_

How many lovers would stay?

_**Just to put up with this shit day after day?**_

_**How did we wind up this way?**_

_**Watching our mouths for the words that we say!**_

The next day, after Kitty and Randy had left, Mary Jane was resting gratefully, watching _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire _with Kristy while Anna and Maddie went down to the police station to identify Phillip's body and prepare the funeral arrangements. As the movie ended, Mary Jane stretched and got off the couch as Kristy put away the DVD, wincing in pain as she remembered that she'd sprained one shoulder and badly bruised the other. Shaking her head in frustration, she went to answer the knock at the door, a wide smile crossing her face when she saw Ben standing there.

"Hey!" she greeted him with a hug, as he stepped in and took off his shoes. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good," Ben replied, "but right now I'm more concerned about how you're doing. Let me have a look at some of these bruises."

Sitting down with Mary Jane on the couch, Ben began examining Mary Jane's injuries, nodding with some relief.

"Well, you'll be alright," he told her after a few minutes. "But you're going to need to take it easy for a while-you've still got some nasty sprains, and you've pulled at least one of your back muscles. I'd recommend you take some time off work-you're not going to be carrying any trays for a while."

"For how long?" Mary Jane asked uncertainly.

"Probably about a week," Ben replied. "But again, you've got to take it easy-you still look really pale."

"I'll take your advice," she sighed. "But it's more than just what happened to me. There's what happened to my father, too."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ben said sincerely.

"It's funny, though," Mary Jane continued. "When he was alive, I hated him. He treated my mom like a punching bag, and he cheated on her with women almost as young as me. I used to call him out on it, but he wasn't even ashamed of it."

_

* * *

_

"You want to know why I cheated on your mother?" Phillip asked Mary Jane. "Why I've done it before, and why I'll do it again?"

_Mary Jane merely stared back at him, an angry scowl on her face. _

_"All my life, for as long as I can remember, I wanted a son. I wanted someone who could carry on my name, who I could be proud of. Instead, I had you," he explained coldly. "I've been trying to have another son ever since. And so far, I've failed. At this rate, I'll never succeed." _

_"You…" Mary Jane did her level best to stay calm, but inwardly she was seething with rage._

_"It makes me sick to think that you're the only thing I'm going to leave this world," Phillip replied. "And to think, I could have had the child I always wanted, instead of the one I actually got." _

* * *

"…That's sick," Ben exclaimed, before he caught himself. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's fine," Mary Jane shook her head. "I felt the same way. For a long time, I wanted something like this to actually happen to him. But now, I just feel…I don't know," she frowned, her shoulder slumping.

"…Sad?" Ben asked.

"Maybe," Mary Jane replied. "I mean, if he really was sponsoring those anti-mutant hate groups, he should have gone to jail, not been killed. And…well…"

Ben looked at her curiously.

"He was still my father," she said sadly.

Putting a comforting arm around Mary Jane's shoulders, Ben felt the bile rising in his throat as he thought of what his parents and Uncle Steve had been saying about Mary Jane.

They were interrupted by Kristy coming back into the TV room, holding Mary Jane's cell phone.

"It's Randy," she explained. "He says it's about the play."

"Thanks, Kristy," Mary Jane replied as she took the phone, before glancing at Ben. Ben only nodded and let Mary Jane go, before she raised the phone to her ear.

"Hey Randy," she said. "What's up?"

_"You're still on for that production of _The Wiz, _right?" _Randy asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know how much rehearsal time I'll miss," Mary Jane answered glumly. "Why, were they thinking of recasting me?"

_"Actually, no," _Randy explained. _"It turns out that the same thing happened as with _A Streetcar Named Desire. _The theater was damaged when it was firebombed by one of those street gangs fighting in the gang war, so now Mr. Ferguson has to find another place for us to rehearse." _

"He's not going to close the production?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

_"No, _The Wiz _means too much to him," _Randy stated. _"He said he shouldn't have too much trouble once everything's worked out, but hopefully you'll be all better by then. He really liked your audition, and he really wants you as Dorothy."_

Mary Jane brightened at that.

"Thanks a lot," she smiled. "That means a lot to me, really."

_"No problem," _Randy said. _"It's really important to me too. I've got to go now, but I'll keep in touch. See you around!"_ he finished, before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Kristy asked, before Mary Jane explained it to them.

"Sounds great," Ben grinned. "Just make sure you take it easy until then, alright?"

"Will do," Mary Jane smiled back at him. "And Ben?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Thanks," she replied.

_**

* * *

**_

As long as we stand here waiting,

_**Wearing the clothes of the souls that we choose! **_

_**How do we get there today,**_

_**When we're walking too far for the price of our shoes!**_

When she came to see how Mary Jane was doing later that same day, Liz Allan had emphatically repeated Ben's advice to take it easy for a while. Mary Jane gratefully did so, spending the next week resting at the Watsons' townhouse while her mother and Aunt Anna handled everything relating to her father's death, ranging from making funeral arrangements to dealing with the media. She didn't even go to work, going to see a doctor for a second time and getting specific orders that she was able to give to Mr. Spencer.

Perhaps best of all, Mary Jane didn't even need to go out as Spider-Woman. Peter Parker had promised to keep an eye out for Jack O'Lantern during his forays as Spider-Man, but no supervillain seemed to have done anything since the gang war had finally concluded.

Just as it had when she'd gone to Fire Island and then camping with Liz and the others, being able to relax and forget her problems for a while worked wonders for Mary Jane. Her injuries were almost fully healed by the time she decided to go for a walk by herself down to the Coffee Bean and then relax at the Empire State University quad, where she could just relax and enjoy the afternoon.

It was while she was in line at the Bean that she recognized the blue-eyed, reddish-brown-haired man with the impressive tan. Now casually dressed in a T-shirt that announced his fraternity, straightforward blue jeans and beaten running shoes, Mark Raxton was pondering the menu with the same curious, inquisitive look that Mary Jane had noticed when she'd met him last month at the party on Fire Island, the one that had been so rudely interrupted by Polestar.

"Hey, Mark!" she grinned, tapping him on the shoulder. Mark turned around, the look of puzzlement on his face rapidly turning to a bright, warm smile as he recognized Mary Jane. "Fancy meeting you here! How's it going?"

"It's going a lot better than it was," she smiled back. "I got caught up in the middle of this crazy gang war, and got hurt pretty badly," she explained, indicating the few bandages and bruises she still had left.

"I know how you feel," Mark replied, before they made their orders, paid and left the coffee shop.

"How do you mean?" Mary Jane asked as they made their way towards the quad.

"A couple of my frat brothers were killed by that Boomerang guy," Mark said sadly. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time when Boomerang attacked a bar they were at. Apparently it was a front for one of those organized crime groups. I mean, how the hell were they supposed to know that?"

"They couldn't," Mary Jane shook her head. "That's what makes what happened to them so sick to begin with."

"I know that," Mark reflected, as they sat down on a bench and began sipping their coffee together. "And that just makes it hurt all the more, you know?"

"Believe me, I do," Mary Jane sighed. "But what can you do?"

"Not a whole lot," Mark said after a few moments. "But you can't let it keep you down forever, you know? There's still a lot to live for. I mean, I've still got the rest of my brothers, and I've got a lot to look forward to in the next few years. When I finish school, I'm going to try and land a job with a place like Stark Enterprises, Richmond Industries, or somewhere like that. Stuff like that keeps me going."

Mary Jane just smiled at that.

"How about you?" Mark asked.

"I haven't thought that far ahead," Mary Jane admitted. "I'd really like to either be a model or an actress. I've always really enjoyed that."

"Whatever you do, don't give up on it," Mark said. "You've got a lot more potential than you realize, believe me. Your passion's going to take you a really long way."

Mary Jane smiled again.

Mark winked back in reply.

_**This is the story of a girl,**_

_**Who cried a river and drowned the whole world,**_

_**And while she looks so sad in photographs,**_

_**I absolutely love her**_

_**When she smiles...**_

(_**Next Issue:**_ Things appear to be looking up for the Watson family, as Mary Jane's life starts to get back to normal and Maddie Watson has a renewed lease on life. Unfortunately, Phillip Watson's sins continue to haunt his next of kin, when the New York crime lords put an end to their gang war. In retribution for Phillip's actions, they order the Constrictor to make an example of his family. After her defeat at the hands of Jack O'Lantern, can Spider-Woman hope to survive a rematch with a villain who so easily bested her the first time? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #26: Crack the Whip!)_


	29. Crack the Whip

It was a very quiet and low-scale funeral for someone who used to be such a prominent citizen. Mary Jane Watson could only count her family and a few of the deceased's former business relations, the most prominent of which was chemical magnate Norman Osborn. None of her friends had wanted to come, repelled as they were by the deceased's fairly open support of mutant registration. A few members of the press had initially come, wanting to cover the memorial services of the man publicly associated with the gang war that had recently torn through New York City, but Norman Osborn's intimidating presence had been enough to drive them away.

Otherwise, Phillip Watson was not mourned or missed by many, and indeed his daughter Mary Jane realized that she probably wouldn't have come either if she hadn't been related to him. Murdered by the supervillain Jack O'Lantern after his involvement in the gang war was made public, Phillip's life had gone steadily downhill ever since he had been outed as an anti-mutant activist by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Once it became known that he had bankrolled human hate groups like the Friends of Humanity and Humanity's Last Stand, many of Phillip's clients had deserted him, since they didn't care to be associated with a known anti-mutant activist, even if they'd shared his views. Desperate to maintain his wealth and upscale lifestyle, Phillip had begun selling his skills to the New York mobs, before apparently triggering a gang war that had ultimately led to his disgrace and murder.

Now, all Phillip Watson had to show for his years of work and effort was public disgrace and humiliation, driven home by the less than ten mourners who had bothered to show up for his funeral.

She felt ashamed of herself for thinking so, but at the back of her mind a small part of Mary Jane felt there was a certain poetic justice in that.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #26

"CRACK THE WHIP"

* * *

Mary Jane and her family gathered back at the Watsons' townhouse to get some dinner, as well as to catch up after a while. It was a family-only affair, as Osborn and the other businessmen who'd come to pay their respects hadn't really known any of the Watsons and didn't want to intrude. None of Mary Jane's friends had come either, respecting the family's desire to be left alone.

Despite everything that had happened, the dinner's mood was lightened by the one participant who was neither a woman nor named Watson. Despite his advanced age, Stanley Lieber still had a merry twinkle in his eye and a warm, affable smile. His horn-rimmed glasses, thick moustache, salt-and-pepper hair and penchant for dark-toned plaid shirts never seemed to change, but that was what his daughter Maddie Lieber-Watson and his granddaughter Mary Jane loved about him. He'd even formed close relationships with Anna and Kristy Watson, who'd come to see him as a beloved old uncle.

It was while Mary Jane was sitting on the upstairs terrace after supper, looking out over the city streets, that Grandpa Lieber came out to join her.

"How's it going, sweetie?" he asked Mary Jane gently as he sat down in one of the chairs, grunting slightly as he rubbed his aching back. "You've been pretty quiet all day. Are you going to be alright?"

Mary Jane looked back at him for a few moments, and then shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't really know," she finally said. "Angry at my father, for the way he treated Mom? Sad, because he died? Even then...it's just…"

"I know how you feel," Grandpa Lieber replied sympathetically, patting Mary Jane's shoulder. "You feel bad for what happened to him, but you're still angry at what he did to Maddie, right?:

Mary Jane's eyes flickered, as a guilty look crossed her face.

Grandpa Lieber figured it out immediately.

"…And a part of you still feels like he got what he deserved, don't you?" Grandpa Lieber persisted.

Mary Jane looked down in shame.

"…Even though you feel ashamed of yourself for thinking that way," Grandpa Lieber finished.

"It's funny," Mary Jane smiled sadly. "I used to hate him, I used to want to see him get what he deserved for everything he did, but now I just feel so...I mean, you pretty much summed it up," she finished.

"Hey, that's normal," Grandpa Lieber assured her. "Lots of people have mixed emotions about just about everything."

"Yeah, but it's more than that…" Mary Jane trailed off.

"How do you mean?" Grandpa Lieber asked.

"…Where does it all end?" Mary Jane asked, a faraway look in her eyes. "People are still getting killed by these sick gang wars. Criminals and supervillains might get defeated and hauled off to prison, but most of them just end up getting out again. This gang war might have stopped, but as soon as one of those crime lords thinks he can get a leg up, he's just going to start it all over again. More people die, more lives are ruined, and the criminals just go back to jail until the next time they get out."

Grandpa Lieber hesitated on that one.

"You still have people dying because they can't afford to get proper food or health care," Mary Jane continued. "Oil spills still pollute the oceans, mutants and gays still run the risk of getting killed just for being who they are, and people still abuse their loved ones. I know I shouldn't…I really do…but sometimes I can't help but wonder what the point of it all is, with the way the world is."

"In that case," Grandpa Lieber wondered, "what's the point of even doing anything at all? Why bother, if it won't really change anything in the long run?"

"Well, I never said-" Mary Jane tried to reply.

"See, that's the thing," her grandfather smiled. "No one can solve all the world's problems. There are more issues than anyone can resolve in a lifetime. But that doesn't prevent us from trying to make the world at least a little better, right?"

Mary Jane looked at him curiously.

"Everything everyone can do as an individual can either make things better, or make them worse," Grandpa Lieber reminded her. "Anyone who stands up for mutant rights, or who tries to donate money or time to charity, or who tries to protect someone else from a criminal or a bully, helps out in their own ways. Each of those actions might not mean a whole lot by themselves, but when they all add up they make the world a lot better off than it could otherwise be."

"And people often don't fully realize the good they do, do they?" Mary Jane smiled.

"Who says wisdom only has to come with age?" Grandpa Lieber chuckled. "No, that's something I've always believed in. Racists, murderers, supervillains and the like are always going to exist, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't do some good in the meantime."

Mary Jane's smile grew wider.

"Thanks, Grandpa," she said gratefully.

"Anytime, honey," Grandpa Lieber reassured her.

* * *

The Libertine was one of the highest-class restaurants in New York City, frequented by celebrities, public officials, and prominent businesspeople. Along with all these other distinguished clients, the Libertine's dirty secret was the fact that it was considered neutral ground for all the New York crime syndicates. Crime lords occasionally met here to discuss matters of mutual interest over dinner, in one of the back rooms that were closed to the general public but could be reserved for private parties and meetings. The night of July 19, 2007 was one of those nights, as the leaders of three of the city's five crime syndicates were meeting to discuss the new status quo that was being established after the gang war that had destroyed the fourth syndicate and left the fifth extremely vulnerable to the New York Police Department's Organized Crime Unit.

At one end of the table was the cold-blooded Philippe Bazin, a French expatriate who had carved out his place on the New York crime scene with a combination of intellectual brilliance and cold tactical brutality. His narrow, penetrating eyes and carefully groomed moustache and beard gave him a faintly diabolical look, while his crisp dark suits and reserved attitude reminded those around him of his hidden depths and infinite reserves of patience.

If Bazin was quiet and collected, the flamboyant Crimewave enjoyed being the life of the party. Known for adopting a codename in the tradition of many supervillains and mutants, even though he was neither, Crimewave's long dark ponytail, slung back jacket and winning smile were those of a young, modern hipster with a flair for the dramatic. His up-to-the-minute fashion choices were the very best in upscale young professional clothing.

The Kingpin was never seen, and indeed many people claimed that there was no Kingpin. Instead, the theory went, the Kingpin's syndicate was actually run by the Enforcers, the lieutenants who oversaw the syndicate's day-to-day operations and spoke for the Kingpin in public. The Ox oversaw enforcement and the violent operations such as extortion, arson and robbery, Fancy Dan looked after internal affairs and administration, and Montana oversaw the 'quiet' operations such as racketeering, prostitution and drug running. Each of the men looked their parts-the Ox being a powerfully muscled disgusting slob, Fancy Dan being a snazzy fashion plate, and Montana dressed in Western-style rural wear, although they took care to remain fairly nondescript otherwise.

Silvermane would have represented the Maggia, except that his syndicate had taken the very worst of the damage during the gang war and was ultimately destroyed by it. Silvermane himself had been murdered by Jack O'Lantern, and both his body and the corpses of his lieutenants had later been found by the police.

The fifth syndicate belonged to the one would-be crime lord who had not been invited to this meeting. The Green Goblin had come almost out of nowhere four years ago, one of the costumed supervillains routinely employed by the crime lords as assassins and enforcers. Unlike most of his colleagues, however, the Goblin actively aspired to control the New York crime scene himself, and had started a fifth syndicate of his own. His efforts had not paid off as well as he'd hoped, with his rivals taking every opportunity they could to undermine him. To make matters worse, many of the schemes the Goblin had hatched to improve his standing had been thwarted by the superhero known as Spider-Man. Those defeats, combined with the effects of the gang war, had left the Goblin's organization extremely vulnerable to the NYPD's Organized Crime Unit, which was already tightening the screws on the Goblin.

The crimelords and their representatives mostly sat in silence as dinner was served, only deigning to talk business after the table had been cleared and the restaurant's employees had been dismissed with strict instructions that the diners were not to be disturbed.

They sat around the table in silence for a few minutes, staring at each other intently as they each waited for the other to make the first move.

Characteristically, it was Crimewave who broke the ice.

"So, what's going to be the deal with the Maggia's drug labs?" he asked, leaning forward and clasping his hands together eagerly on the table in front of him.

"Most of them were destroyed by that psychotic Jack O'Lantern," Montana reminded him, "as was all the equipment and the ingredients. It's all just about a total write-off."

"Of course, you _would _say that," Crimewave pointed out wryly, "considering that most of those labs were undercutting the Kingpin's drug trade in four of the five boroughs. How do we know you aren't just bullshitting us and getting ready to expand into those areas, anyway?"

"Because," the Ox replied bluntly, "if we were, 8-Ball and the Nasty Boys would be all over your ass."

"And here I thought the war was over," Crimewave said flippantly. "You're not seriously considering starting it up again, are you?"

The Enforcers looked at one another, as if seemingly receiving instructions from some outside source.

"I thought we were here for a more constructive purpose," Fancy Dan replied, "but if you insist on trying to provoke the Kingpin-"

"I too was under the impression we were here for a more constructive purpose," Phillipe Bazin finally spoke up, his steely, rasping voice echoing loudly in the room despite his quiet tone. "Perhaps, if you are through attempting to uselessly intimidate one another, we can begin?"

"Fine," Crimewave began. "What did you have in mind?"

"I have no doubt that you all realize how duped we were by Phillip Watson," Bazin began. "We were played for fools by his double-dealing manipulations, which were what caused this war to begin with. No doubt you would have been eager to exact an appropriate revenge on Watson, to show the dangers of crossing you? I certainly would have," he continued.

"Yeah, we would have, but that Jack O'Lantern guy got to him before any of our own hired costumes did," the Ox pointed out. "So what are you proposing?"

"This gang war cost us all considerably in lost revenue and manpower," Bazin replied coldly. "I see no reason why we should simply let the matter slide simply because an independent supervillain got lucky. If nothing else, it would offer some measure of satisfaction to show his family that we don't forget, much less forgive."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that, Bazin," Crimewave pointed out with a smirk. "I didn't think petty revenge would be your game."

"It is not," Bazin replied, "but when it accomplishes a greater purpose-namely, to send a message to those who would dare to trifle with us-I don't have a problem with it."

"And get a lot of negative PR from that?" Crimewave pointed out uncertainly. "Seems like you're using a cruise missile to kill a fly. How do we know that the public won't turn against us because of this?"

"Because Phillip Watson was not exactly a respected member of the community," Bazin replied smoothly. "Any plights the Watson family endures would not generate nearly as much public sympathy as they would under normal circumstances."

"Besides," the Ox spoke up, after receiving his instructions from the Kingpin, "the only people who would 'get' the message are the ones who know what to look for. Otherwise, the Watsons will merely seem the victims of another supervillain attack. Phillip Watson is perceived as a wealthy man-surely a supervillain could think he'd pass on a lot of money to his family…"

"Yeah, but we can't push this too far," Crimewave argued. "Otherwise, we'll get way more heat on us than we can deal with, especially when we haven't sorted everything out from the war. How about we send one guy after the Watsons, and let it go from there?"

"Fair enough," Bazin agreed, as the Enforcers nodded their consent. "The Constrictor is well-known for his tact and discretion."

The smiles that greeted Bazin showed him he had his rivals' agreement.

"Now then," he continued, "on to other business. The drug shipments and distribution are as good a place as any to start…"

_**

* * *

**_

Two days later…

Mary Jane rubbed her aching feet with some relief, glad to be getting some rest after another long day at work. While her mother's therapy bills were still eating up a fair amount of her paycheck, Mary Jane could at least take some comfort in the fact that the therapy seemed to be working wonders. As it was, she still had to do some juggling to come up with her share of the rent and the grocery bills she split with Kitty.

She grimaced as she looked over her tuition costs for the next term, noting the six percent hike that was coming. Mary Jane couldn't help but wonder if she'd be able to get all the classes she wanted with her current salary-aside from her work on _The Wiz, _would she probably have to go back to get some more modeling work with Roderick Kingsley?

The thought made Mary Jane feel sick to her stomach.

"It's not easy being a working girl, is it?" Kitty Pryde quipped as she came in from the kitchen and saw Mary Jane typing away at the computer. "I take it you heard about the tuition hike?"

"Yeah," Mary Jane smiled ruefully. "I suppose I could ask my boss for a raise, but somehow I don't think going from the coffee shop to the unemployment line would be a good career move. What BS reason did they give for the hike?"

"Increased insurance and repair costs, and government funding cuts," Kitty shrugged, as she sat down at the table and started to work on her salad. "Then again, this _is _New York City, after all…"

"Yeah," Mary Jane said glumly. "That's what sucks about being an actress-unless you're famous, you won't exactly be living on easy street. It's not much better for you, I take it?" she asked.

Kitty shook her head, before another question came to mind.

"Well, what about-" she started, before realizing what she was about to ask.

"What about what?" Mary Jane asked in confusion.

"Never mind," Kitty replied hastily, mentally kicking herself for her thoughtlessness.

"You're wondering how much money my father had left when he died, aren't you?" Mary Jane asked, a smile playing around her lips.

"I'm sorry, I never should have…" Kitty fumbled in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it," Mary Jane assured her. "My father disinherited Mom and I years ago, back when he kicked us out of the house. Not to mention that when the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants outed him as an anti-mutant activist, his reputation and his business both pretty much went down the tubes. He was almost broke by the time he died, and it turns out that he was a pretty big tax cheat, too. So now, even though we never would have inherited anything to begin with, Mom and I are going to be responsible for a large part of the back taxes he owes."

"Ouch," Kitty winced sympathetically. "I wish I could help, but-"

"Hey, it's alright," Mary Jane assured her. "Really, it is. Harry's father was right-times are tough all over. Hell, we're probably lucky to have jobs as it is…"

"Too true," Kitty nodded. "So, what are you doing tonight?"

"I don't know," Mary Jane shrugged. "I could probably just go over my lines from _The Wiz _again. I want to make sure I've got everything right the first time. How about you?"

"I've got a date with Kong," Kitty grinned. "Oh, MJ, he's a perfect gentleman-he even holds the door open for me and everything."

"I didn't think you'd really want that kind of special treatment," Mary Jane pointed out.

"Well, it depends on what kind of treatment," Kitty explained. "I mean, I don't want him paying for both of us, but his doing things like holding the door and pulling my chair make me feel special," she chuckled.

"Men," Mary Jane replied in a mock-philosophical tone. "We expect them to treat us like equals, but we also expect them to spoil us rotten and get mad at them when they don't. It's fun, isn't it?"

They both giggled at this.

* * *

After a few hours of rehearsing her lines, Mary Jane realized that she'd probably memorized them as well as she could before she started working with Randy and the rest of the cast next week. Finding herself with some free time, Mary Jane decided that she should probably do some patrolling as Spider-Woman, particularly given that for all she knew Jack O'Lantern and Moonstone were still on the loose.

Spider-Woman still owed Moonstone for what she'd done to Mrs. McFarlane, and after everything he'd put her through, she intended to be the one to take Jack O'Lantern down.

Her blood boiled every time she thought of that sick, depraved-

Mary Jane took a deep breath to steady herself as she changed into her newly sewn costume.

* * *

It had seemed like an absurd waste of energy for him to have to kill three defenseless women, although he obviously never turned down good-paying work. He just found it somewhat ironic that high-profile assassins could be sent on missions that seemed far beneath their talents, except that the propaganda value was typically well worth the investment.

As he double-checked his equipment, he chuckled at the memory of the conversation he'd had with another hired killer, who'd bitched to him about the way things were…

_"I can't believe they fucking turned me down," Samuel Silke said in disgust to his buddy as they hung out in the bar. "I mean, what's going on these days? Used to be that if you needed someone dead, you just got up and shoot him. Pop, blammo! One bullet was all it took."_

"_He ends up face-down in his cornflakes, the whole neighborhood knows what went down. They all know it was a hit, everyone knows who did it, and why. Business taken care of, message received. But now you've got to put on a fucking Halloween outfit if you expect anybody to take you seriously and give you any work. I mean, what the fuck? Why aren't we doing things the old-fashioned way? Like we were taught?" _

"_Because your standard hired gun is a VCR," Frank Payne replied smoothly as he sipped at a martini. "The hit men dressed in black suits, white shirts, black ties and shades are like TV antennas. Non-powered gunmen are cartridge-based video games. Just going up and shooting somebody is just like using a typewriter." _

"_What the fuck are you talking about?" Silke asked. _

"_Hit men are out of date," Frank explained. "They're a thing of the past. Back in the day, people used VCRs, they played video game cartridges, they got their TV signals from antennas, and they used typewriters to write letters. They were all useful for their time, but eventually they were displaced by superior, more efficient technology. Now, no one uses them, except maybe for some isolated specialized job, or maybe if you're feeling nostalgic." _

_It took Silke a few minutes to get the gist of what Frank was telling him. _

"_Jesus, Frank, you can't seriously be buying into this costume shit!" he demanded, pulling his shades down for emphasis. "Are you seriously saying that the supervillains are taking our place?" _

"_Come on, Sam," Frank replied, raising an eyebrow. "You know I don't kid around." _

"_But…how the fuck could you…" Silke gasped, barely able to get what Frank was telling him. _

"_Easily," Frank replied. "See, one of the big problems these days is all the different kinds of security they've come up with. You want to snipe a guy, it's a hell of a lot harder than it was when Oswald blew away Kennedy. Try to break into a guy's place to poison him or get his family, you've got more security than you can shake a stick at. Trying to sneak around the defenses they've come up with nowadays is more trouble than it's worth." _

_Silke stared back at Frank in disbelief. _

"_It's a lot faster and a lot easier to just blast through the defenses," Frank explained. "No subterfuge, no bullshit, pop, blammo!" he explained, repeating Silke's phrase. "With their powers and their skills, supervillains can do a hell of a lot more than any hired gun, no matter how good he is." _

"…_This is fucked up," Silke muttered in disbelief. _

"_And think of the propaganda, too," Frank explained. "You've got so many of these lunatics running around and killing people while they're robbing banks, how's anyone supposed to tell a deliberate hit from some random robbery? If you to make a propaganda announcement, you can let everybody know who did it. You want to keep it secret, you can! Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?"_

"_You…" Silke mumbled._

"_Not to mention the superheroes," Frank concluded. "Every time a hired gun goes up against a superhero, he's going to get his ass kicked, no matter how good he is. You know it, I know it. Supervillains have a way better chance of succeeding than any hired gun ever will. That's why I'm becoming one myself." _

"_You…what…?" Silke said in disbelief. _

"_That's right," Frank said proudly. "I'm just waiting for the Tinkerer to put the finishing touches on my coils, and I'll be ready to go." _

"_Damn…" Silke shook his head. "So what are you going to call yourself? The Thrill-Killer?" he asked sarcastically. _

"_Please," Frank sniffed disdainfully. "At least give me a little credit. No, I'm going to model myself after a Constrictor." _

_Silke just stared at him. _

"_For all their lethality, people have an annoying tendency to survive gunshot wounds when you least expect them to," Frank pointed out. "Strangling someone, as you know, can be applied for as long as you need it to until you know the job is done. Or, if you're in a hurry you can just break their necks or simply tear their heads off." _

"_And you're still willing to go around dressed like some nut on Halloween?" Silke asked skeptically. _

"_Yes, if it gets me work," Frank nodded. "Besides, I actually think my outfit's rather stylish. Dark blue and dull gold actually go together much better than you'd think…" _

Nodding in satisfaction at the memory, the Constrictor slipped his coiled gauntlets onto his wrists before verifying the information he'd been given on his targets.

It was time to go to work.

* * *

Spider-Woman found the night to be surprisingly quiet. The only criminals she'd come across were a few two-bit punks trying to break into a liquor store, and she hadn't even worked up a sweat in dealing with them. From everything she could tell, most of the city's criminal element was taking a breather tonight, presumably to retrench after all the death and violence of the gang war.

She was almost ready to call it a night and return home early when her spider-senses began buzzing. Her spider-senses were not like Peter Parker's, which alerted him to danger or potential threats. Rather, Spider-Woman's senses reacted with the pheromones she had 'marked' many people with when something of interest was occurring with them. She could use her pheromones and her senses to track people by deliberately homing in on them, but they could also activate if something was happening to them that she was interested in.

Turning to head in the direction indicated by her spider-senses, Spider-Woman felt a chill run down her spine as she realized her senses were leading her back to the Watsons' townhouse.

Horror turned to rage as she realized that, if they were in any danger, chances are it had to do with her father's apparent involvement in starting the gang war.

Almost without realizing it, she quickened her pace.

* * *

"You're really ready?" Anna asked Maddie as they sat at the kitchen table, looking through the want ads in the _Daily Bugle. _

"Yeah," Maddie nodded. "Mary Jane and I are responsible for Phillip's back taxes. You and she have already done enough for me, so it's time I started paying my way."

"What were you planning on?" Anna asked.

"Good question," Maddie frowned as she circled one ad, then another. "I suppose I could-" She was interrupted by the loud crash that tore their front door off its hinges. Shocked by what they heard, Anna and Maddie rushed to investigate, before gasping in horror at what they saw standing in the doorway.

He wore a costume of dark midnight blue, with a gold serpentine pattern that began in the middle of his mask and continued down the front of his body. Similar patterns began at his shoulders and continued down his arms until they stopped at his gauntlets. A forest of vibranium steel cables, writhing and slithering with a snakelike motion all their own, sprouted from each hand. To make matters worse, the cables sparked with electrical energy, hissing and flashing with an inner life.

Anna was too choked with horror to say anything at first, but Maddie merely scowled at him.

"Who are you?" she demanded acidly.

"You can call me the Constrictor," the tall man said in a matter-of-fact tone. "And I'm here to kill you both."

"…What?" Maddie gasped.

"It's nothing personal, I assure you," the Constrictor explained, as his vibranium coil whips slithered towards his victims. "It's just that-"

All of a sudden, it was the Constrictor's turn to be interrupted, as he was seemly yanked off his feet and pulled out of the house with a startled cry. As Maddie and Anna ran to the door, they briefly gawked at what was happening on their front lawn.

"Get Kristy, Anna," Maddie said determinedly. "I'm going to call the police, and then we're going out the back way."

"But-" Anna protested.

"GO!" Maddie ordered, turning Anna around and shoving her towards the stairs, before running back into the kitchen to use the telephone.

* * *

The Constrictor had been caught off guard by the webline that had stuck on his back pulled him out of the doorway. Unable to react before he was thrown into the air, he managed to avoid being slammed into the ground by extending his cables until they stuck in the ground and stopped his fall. Sliding back to ground level, he looked around for whoever had ambushed him and raised his eyebrows to see the spectacular Spider-Woman glaring at him with a barely concealed fury.

"I hadn't expected to see you again, young lady," he remarked, as he lashed out with his coils. "I must say, I'm rather disappointed that you didn't take my advice to heart."

Faster than he would have reacted, Spider-Woman sprayed her webbing in a wide pattern, snagging all of the Constrictor's coils. Yanking on the webbing with all her might, Spider-Woman suddenly pulled the Constrictor forward, slamming her head into his face as they collided. As the Constrictor staggered back in a daze, Spider-Woman caught him square in the chest with a double sting blast that sent him flying backwards to crash heavily on the sidewalk and roll into the street.

As the Constrictor staggered to his feet, blood streaming from his broken nose, he saw Spider-Woman staring back at him in cold silence.

"Talk is cheap," was all she said.

"How true!" the Constrictor sneered, as he released his coils in a wide arc around Spider-Woman, charging them with electrical energy. The coils struck from every angle, forcing Spider-Woman to leap into the air to avoid them. Some of the coils rose up and formed a spiked, clawed hand that tore into her from behind, tearing long lines across her back and zapping her with electrical energy. Screaming in pain, Spider-Woman fell into the rest of the Constrictor's coils, which had shaped themselves into a nest of razor wire that tore into her painfully from every angle. The coils wrapped around her, even as the rest of the Constrictor's whips moved in for the kill.

"An admirable effort, my dear!" the Constrictor complimented her, smiling in spite of his bleeding nose. "And yet, not enough to deal with a professional!"

Spider-Woman was faster than he expected, however, twisting around so the coils she was wrapped in deflected the scourge-like whips that were coming down towards her head. Both sets of coils bounced harmlessly off one another, and the shocked Constrictor briefly let up on his attack, giving Spider-Woman the split second she needed to wriggle free of the coils.

She was covered in lash marks and electrical burns, but if Spider-Woman felt any pain she didn't show it. Instead, she charged in fearlessly at the Constrictor, who brought back his coils and formed them into a defensive wall, ready to strike back. Spider-Woman suddenly came to a halt, standing there as the Constrictor kept up his wall.

It was only after the Constrictor began to rearrange his coils for another attack, leaving himself vulnerable, that Spider-Woman struck with a sting blast. He managed to get a coil away to block it, but in that single moment Spider-Woman leapt over, under and around his slithering whips with breathtaking speed. The Constrictor backed off hastily, raising his arms to bring his coils back at Spider-Woman, but the arachnid heroine proved faster.

Two sting blasts, one from each of Spider-Woman's hands, caught the Constrictor's gauntlets. The gauntlets hissed and sparked as they broke apart and the Constrictor howled in pain. Clutching his hands in agony, one of the Constrictor's gauntlets fell to pieces and the other one fizzled and sparked as Spider-Woman charged in.

Her flying jump kick caught him square in the chest, knocking the Constrictor on his back, and he couldn't stand up to the flurry of punches that Spider-Woman drove into him after she dragged him to his feet. Groaning in pain, he raised his burned hands in surrender as the police cars pulled up in the distance.

"Well done," he complimented her as the policemen approached. "You've come a very long way since our last encounter. I never feel shame at being defeated by a worthy opponent, whether it be Captain America, Spider-Man or yourself. While I may be an assassin, I'd also like to think I'm enough of a warrior to appreciate the skills of my opponents."

Her fury subsiding, Spider-Woman couldn't help but smile slightly, almost amused by the Constrictor's cold-blooded formality.

Turning around and looking back at the Watson townhouse, Spider-Woman saw that the police officers were looking after her family.

Nodding in satisfaction, she took off into the night.

* * *

As painful as her cuts and burns were, they were nothing Mary Jane couldn't handle. A soak in the bathtub proved to be just what the doctor ordered, after which she rubbed some ointment into the worst of her injuries and settling into bed.

For the first time since her father's death, Mary Jane felt at peace with herself. She might not have been able to stop Jack O'Lantern from murdering her father, but she'd manage to save the rest of her family from the Constrictor. For tonight at least, they could sleep soundly, knowing that they were safe.

Mary Jane knew full well that this might not be the end, that her father's sins might continue to come back to haunt her friends and family. Or they might be victimized by Jack O'Lantern, or another one of the many enemies she'd made since making the fateful decision to put on her Spider-Woman costume.

Either way, Mary Jane knew there wasn't much she could do to prevent it. What she could do, what she had been able to do time and again, was be there for her loved ones, or anyone else she could help.

That thought remained with her as she fell asleep.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane begins rehearsals for _The Wiz, _even as her relationships with the men in her life become increasingly complicated. But a horrible new threat lurks in the background, as Jack O'Lantern begins to put his true master plan into action! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #27: Behind the Mask, Part One: The Gathering Storm!)_


	30. Behind The Mask: The Gathering Storm

An afternoon at Bloomingdale's always cheered Mary Jane Watson up, even if she was forced to mostly do window shopping these days due to her rather limited finances. Even then, she had fun looking at all the latest summer collections and posing with them in front of the mirror.

After her life or death fight with the Constrictor, when she'd managed to save her mother and Aunt Anna from being murdered by the serpentine killer, Mary Jane had wanted to unwind. For all that she'd enjoyed being able to get back to a normal routine after everything that had happened over the last few weeks, at the back of her mind Mary Jane was constantly alert for any sign that Jack O' Lantern or any other member of her rogues' gallery might try something.

_Then again, maybe I'm worrying too much, _Mary Jane thought to herself as she tried on a lovely Donna Karan sweater. _Mom's doing a lot better now, and I've got the lead role in that new production of _The Wiz, she smiled.

And yet, try as she might, she couldn't forget the memory of Jack O' Lantern's hellish, bone-chilling laughter as it echoed in her mind.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #27

BEHIND THE MASK, PART ONE

"THE GATHERING STORM"

* * *

One thing that provided a useful distraction was the collection of super-cute Converse All-Stars that caught Mary Jane's eye as she passed by the shoe store. If there was one thing Mary Jane just couldn't get enough of, it was shoes. While she already had various boots, platforms, high heels, ballet flats, sandals and about fourteen pairs of Converse sneakers, Mary Jane was always ready to add another pair. Even better, these ones were on sale, something which Mary Jane always appreciated.

At first, Mary Jane was so busy glancing through the display to find a color that she liked that she didn't hear the argument behind her. It was only after she was jolted out of her reverie by the loud, shrill yelling that Mary Jane recognized the uniquely obnoxious customer that the voice belonged to. Turning around with a distinctly sour look on her face, Mary Jane recognized Mrs. Jannetty all too well. Mary Jane had waited on Mrs. Jannetty one night at the coffee shop, and her rude, nasty treatment had been the final straw after Mary Jane had already been extremely stressed out. She'd snapped and yelled at Mrs. Jannetty, who'd gotten her in trouble with her boss.

Mrs. Jannetty was in rare form today, angrily throwing a pair of pink pumps at the hapless shoe salesman who was waiting on her. The shoes bounced off the head of the salesman, who merely rubbed his temples and tried to stammer out a reply to her continued demands.

"Does this look like pink to you?" Mrs. Jannetty thundered, before grabbing the next pair the salesman offered to her and throwing them over her shoulder. "I said **pink**, you idiot!"

"Ma'am, I-" the flustered salesman stammered.

"Let me guess," Mrs. Jannetty sneered. "You've never been Employee of the Month, have you?"

Several of the other customers in the store looked at Mrs. Jannetty in shock, but they all seemed too intimidated to speak up.

Mary Jane had no such reservations.

"Maybe not, but somehow I doubt he's been banned from every all you can eat restaurant in town, either," she interrupted, coming around into Mrs. Jannetty's line of sight.

"WHAT?" Mrs. Jannetty screeched in anger, rising up from her chair to confront Mary Jane. While she was at least a foot taller and a hundred and fifty pounds heavier, Mary Jane wasn't intimidated in the last.

"You heard me," Mary Jane shot back, disgusted by the larger woman's attitude. "Maybe if you took some money out of your fried cheese budget and actually took some classes on manners, you'd know how to actually behave in public."

"How dare you-" Mrs. Jannetty began, before Mary Jane interrupted her.

"I'd also point out how you're causing problems for the other customers, but somehow I doubt you could hear me over the sizzling of the bacon you probably keep in your purse," Mary Jane continued. "So, if you're done insulting this poor guy, who's done nothing but try and help you, maybe you could go gorge at a trough somewhere and let the rest of us get on with our shopping?"

Mrs. Jannetty's face turned a deep enraged crimson, as she picked up her purse.

"This isn't over, you little brat," she hissed at Mary Jane. "I can assure you, you're going to pay for this."

Mary Jane just rolled her eyes and turned away as the larger woman stomped out of the store, muttering angrily under her breath.

As soon as Mrs. Jannetty was gone, the salesman and the other customers suddenly burst out in applause, catching Mary Jane by surprise. She smiled hesitantly, suddenly caught off guard as she realized what she'd done.

"Thank you so much," the salesman sighed in relief, seeming as if he had a weight lifted off his chest. "I can't count the number of times she's come in here and started bossing everyone around like she owns the place…"

"It's no problem," Mary Jane assured him. "I ran into her at my job once, and I know what she's like. Anyway, how much for these Chucks?" she asked, holding her selection up.

"Hey, for getting rid of the female Homer Simpson, they're on the house," the salesman only smiled.

"What?" Mary Jane asked in amazement. "No…really, I can't-"

"It's the least I can do," he assured her. "Trust me."

Mary Jane only blinked in surprise, before she gratefully nodded in acceptance and left the store, an additional bounce in her step.

Maybe things were shaping up better than she'd expected, after all.

* * *

"I'm flattered that you'd want to interview me," Dr. Karla Sofen told Maggie Beck as they sat in her office at the Ravencroft Asylum for the Criminally Insane. In her late twenties, Dr. Sofen was considerably younger than most of the rest of Ravencroft's psychiatric staff, with long blonde hair and bright crystal-blue eyes. She was a marked contrast to Maggie, who was several years younger and whose hair and clothing were entirely dark. Maggie had begun work on her graduate thesis on criminal psychology, and she had come to interview Dr. Sofen, who was one of the brightest young talents in the country when it came to criminal psychology.

"So," Dr. Sofen continued, as she leaned forward in her chair and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "What's your thesis about, again?"

"I'm discussing the evolution of criminal psychology in the last decade, since the rise of the costumed supervillain," Maggie explained. "I've noticed that one of the major themes in your work has been the obsolescence of many aspects of criminal profiling?"

"That's right," Dr. Sofen nodded. "The simple fact is that many costumed criminals simply don't conform to conventional psychological expectations. No straightforward theory has ever been put forward as to why, with the advent of humans gaining all manner of bizarre and fantastic abilities, so many of them feel compelled to dress in outlandish costumes and commit all kinds of bizarre crimes."

"That's one of the main things I'm trying to determine," Maggie replied. "My hypothesis is that many costumed criminals-and costumed heroes, for that matter-dress the way they do as a means of expressing different parts of their personalities that they otherwise wouldn't show. The medium of dressing in costumes reflects decades of social conditioning by comic books, but it's merely the latest manifestation of a centuries-old tradition of people donning masks and costumes for rituals, festivals and disguises."

"It's a fascinating line of thinking," Dr. Sofen nodded approvingly. "Were there any cases in particular you were thinking of studying?"

"I have to admit that this Jack O' Lantern character intrigues me," Maggie said, "particularly since he's actually addressed a number of the points that I'm studying. He's gone on and on about how his mask is actually his true face, and it allows him to be his evil self in public, or something like that."

"How do you know Jack O' Lantern is a he?" Dr. Sofen asked.

"I don't," Maggie replied without missing a beat. "Jack could just as easily be a she."

Her eyes gleamed at this.

"Well, Jack is a very interesting case," Dr. Sofen pointed out. "He-we'll use the male pronoun as generic-started out robbing banks, before he rose to terrorizing party guests and attempting to rob them blind, and now he's graduated to mass murder with all the people he's killed, especially all those people in the Maggia. It wouldn't surprise me if he's escalating."

"Escalating?" Maggie asked in surprise.

"Very much so," Dr. Sofen nodded. "One could only imagine what his next criminal scheme would be."

"I wonder what motivated him-and again, we're using a generic pronoun-to put on his costume in the first place," Maggie reflected.

"It could be for any number of reasons," Dr. Sofen answered. "Certainly, if you ask any of my patients they'll all tell you a different story. In Jack's case, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a previously innocuous member of society who had taken on his criminal identity to act out his innermost fantasies."

"…Fascinating," Maggie finally said, after rubbing her chin for several minutes. "So you're saying that we haven't seen the end of Jack's criminal escalations?"

"That's right," Dr. Sofen nodded. "I can only imagine what his ultimate goals would be, but somehow I doubt they could be anything good."

Maggie didn't say anything in reply, but Dr. Sofen took note of how her eyes gleamed when she heard those words.

* * *

Later that evening, Mary Jane was going over some bills at the kitchen table while Kitty watched TV in her bedroom. She didn't hear the knock on the door to their apartment at first, but the second and more insistent knock jolted her out of her concentration.

Blinking in surprise, Mary Jane got up and answered the door. She found that her visitor was a tall man in a dark conservative suit, with hard grey eyes and close-cropped dark hair that was turning grey at the edges. He stared intently at Mary Jane, appraising her before he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you Mary Jane Watson?" the man asked in a harsh voice.

"…Who are you?" Mary Jane demanded suspiciously.

"I'm Detective Jason Phillip Macendale, NYPD Superhuman Activities Unit," Macendale introduced himself, displaying his badge. "May I come in?"

"What do you want?" Mary Jane asked him, making no move to let the detective in.

"I've been assigned to your father's murder case," Detective Macendale replied. "I had a few questions to ask, if I may."

The first thing that came to Mary Jane's mind was a sarcastic comment about how the detective had taken his sweet time in getting around to talking to her, but she bit it back, realizing that she hadn't been in any shape to talk to the police before now and that the police had probably had all they could handle in dealing with the mob war.

"All right," she finally nodded, standing aside to let Detective Macendale into the apartment. "Do you want some coffee or something?" she asked him as she shut the door and followed him into the apartment.

"I only drink water," Detective Macendale replied bluntly. "Now," he asked Mary Jane after she'd gotten some coffee and sat down on the couch across from him, "do you have any idea who might have wanted your father dead?"

At first, Mary Jane wondered if Detective Macendale was serious, what with her father's various business rivals, mutant extremists, and the various organized crime figures Phillip Watson had crossed in apparently orchestrating this gang war. She studied him for a moment, but aside from a hard light in his eyes, there didn't seem anything at all unusual about him.

"My mother and I weren't really privy to any of his business dealings," Mary Jane shook her head. "As far as I can imagine, it would probably be one of his business rivals, or maybe someone who was upset with his stance on mutant rights," she shrugged.

"He never said anything to you?" Detective Macendale asked, writing in his notebook. "Did you have much contact with him in the last few months?"

"No, I didn't," Mary Jane replied.

"And you never knew anything about his alleged involvement with the various organized crime syndicates in this city?" Detective Macendale persisted.

"He would never have told us," Mary Jane replied. "For all we knew, he was just an ordinary businessman."

"So he hid everything he did behind a mask?" Detective Macendale asked, raising an eyebrow. "He kept his true nature hidden?" he wondered, a sharp edge in his voice.

"I…" Mary Jane trailed off, surprised by the sudden change in Detective Macendale's voice. "I…suppose…that…" she stammered, trying to figure out what the detective is getting at. "That might be one way to put it."

"Typical," Detective Macendale sighed in disgust. "That's the sort of bullshit I've had to deal with in my job for years. People make a big show of looking like good citizens, but behind closed doors they have orgies, they watch snuff films, they beat their families. It makes me so goddamn sick…"

"…Are you okay?" Mary Jane asked, blinking in surprise as she wondered what was wrong with the detective.

Detective Macendale seemed to catch himself, as he realized what he was saying.

"I'm sorry," he said, rubbing his temples. "I'm just stressed-sometimes I think I'm suffering from burnout," he claimed. "You wouldn't believe what I've seen on this job…"

"I can imagine," Mary Jane frowned sympathetically. "I wish there was something more I could do to help."

"There isn't much," Macendale said ruefully, "unless you can tell me how Jack O' Lantern knew where to find your father. He never said where he was hiding out, right?"

"No," Mary Jane shook her head again.

"That's what I figured," Macendale grumbled. "Thank you for your time," he said, as he stood up to leave. "We'll be in touch if we get any more leads."

Mary Jane nodded and accompanied him back to the door as he left. As she shut the door behind him, she felt a sudden realization.

Just how _had _Jack O' Lantern known where to find her father, anyway?

And how had he been able to arrive just before she'd gotten there as Spider-Woman?

For that matter, why had Macendale gone off on that tangent just now?

* * *

It was a slow day at the Empire State Coffee Shop the next day, and for the most part Mary Jane only had a few customers to deal with. Not that she necessarily minded, as she had a number of things on her mind, not the least of which was going to be trying to find the money for all the classes she wanted to take when school started up again in September. She'd already gotten a considerable amount of student loan debt, and unless she found some better paying work…

She immediately put the thought of Roderick Kingsley out of her mind. Even now, she couldn't help but feel her skin crawl whenever she thought of him.

Aside from that, there was still the question of Jack O'Lantern and Moonstone. Mary Jane was sickened by what she'd read in that morning's _Daily Bugle _about the murders Jack O'Lantern had been committing over the last week or so, but in spite of all her efforts she hadn't been able to find him when she went out patrolling at night. He always seemed to be one step ahead of her, sadistically cackling all the while.

Moonstone, for her part, seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth, for which Mary Jane was rather grateful. She had enough problems to deal with already. Unfortunately, just as she had with the rest of her enemies, Mary Jane realized that if Moonstone ever showed up again, she was probably going to be the one who'd have to deal with her. If that happened, Mary Jane was determined to be ready.

Still, it wasn't all bad-her mother's therapy seemed to be working wonders, and indeed Maddie Watson seemed as strong, if not stronger, than she'd ever been. Not to mention she was really looking forward to starting rehearsals tonight with _The Wiz_-she really wanted to do the character and the script justice…

A brief glance at the clock caught Mary Jane by surprise, as she realized that her shift was over. Blinking in surprise at how quickly the day had gone by, she moved to take her tray and the last collection of dirty dishes into the kitchen to be washed, before getting ready to leave.

As she headed back into the break room to gather her things, she saw her boss Mr. Spencer waiting for her. He had an ugly look stamped on his face, glaring at Mary Jane as she retrieved her tote bag.

"Mary Jane?" he asked her as she turned to leave.

"…Yeah?" she asked Mr. Spencer curiously.

"What's this I hear about you getting into a fight with Mrs. Jannetty at a shoe store yesterday?" he demanded.

"Well, I…" Mary Jane started, before she frowned. "Wait…how do you know about that?"

"Because she told me," Mr. Spencer explained, an angry frown crossing his face. "She said you were extremely rude and made a number of jokes about her weight."

"Um, excuse me, _she _was the one being rude," Mary Jane protested, "and she was treating the salesman like he was her slave. I only spoke up when no one else would. And what does it matter what I do on my own time, anyway?" she scowled back at him.

"It matters when you insult one of my best customers," Mr. Spencer shot back. "Mrs. Jannetty has been coming to this shop for over ten years, and I've lost track of how much money she's spent here. She's a close personal friend, and I won't stand for having one of my employees treat her like that."

"But that all happened on my own time!" Mary Jane protested. "It's none of your business when-"

"It _is _mybusiness when you humiliate one of my best friends and make my business look bad," Mr. Spencer replied angrily. "I had to give Mrs. Jannetty another $300 gift certificate because of what you did, and I'm taking it out of your salary."

"But, Mr. Spencer-" Mary Jane protested.

"No buts!" Mr. Spencer scowled. "I'm also going to be taking the money you make in tips for the rest of the month, too. That will go towards another gift certificate for Mrs. Jannetty, along with a letter of apology that you're going to write to her. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Mary Jane muttered through gritted teeth.

"And let me be perfectly clear," Mr. Spencer continued. "If I ever hear about you getting into an argument with Mrs. Jannetty again, either here or out in public, you're fired. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Mary Jane mumbled as she took a deep breath and did her best to contain her rising temper. Nodding curtly, Mr. Spencer dismissed her with a wave and she stomped towards the exit, seething with frustration.

* * *

Mary Jane was fuming as she left the coffee shop, outraged at Mr. Spencer and Mrs. Jannetty for what they'd done. She was especially irritated at having another three hundred dollars taken out of her salary, particularly when she needed every cent she could-

She managed to catch herself before she ran headlong into the tall man, who also quickly stopped himself. As Mary Jane stammered out an apology, she recognized the thick dark hair and handsome, finely sculpted features of the man standing before her.

"You're…" Mary Jane began.

"Kitty's Uncle Steve," Steven Mark Levins replied with a warm smile. "And you're her roommate Mary Jane, right?"

"Yeah," Mary Jane replied, slightly embarrassed. "I'm really sorry I almost hit you, I was just really distracted."

"You seem kind of flustered," Steven replied, a hint of concern in his voice. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"No, it's alright," Mary Jane fumbled, rubbing the back of her neck in a slightly nervous fashion. "I mean, you've probably got somewhere you need to be, and-"

"I'm actually just on my way home from work," Steven interrupted. "I don't have anywhere I need to be. Were you in a rush?"

"Well, no," Mary Jane shook her head. "I mean, I've got rehearsals tonight, but not for a few hours yet."

"Then why don't we get some coffee?" Steven offered. "There's a Starbucks I really like about a block from here."

Mary Jane brightened at that.

"You mean the one down the street from the Empire State Coffee Shop?" she grinned.

Steven only nodded.

"Count me in," Mary Jane smiled.

* * *

"So what exactly is the problem?" Steven asked Mary Jane after they'd sat down.

"Suffice it to say that I'm more than a little bitter," Mary Jane concluded after she'd told Steven about her altercations with Mrs. Jannetty and Mr. Spencer docking her pay in return. "The first time, I was just having a really bad day and Mrs. Jannetty pushed me past the breaking point. The second time, though, was because that fat slob was bullying that poor shoe salesman. She was being a bully. I _hate _bullies," she sighed in frustration, "and I just couldn't stop myself from speaking up."

"You seem to make a habit of that," Steven smiled. "Didn't you help Kitty out after her dorm room was vandalized by those anti-mutant thugs?"

"Yeah, but what was I supposed to do?" Mary Jane shrugged. "I couldn't just leave her hanging. Besides, I needed a new apartment anyway once I couldn't afford the old one."

"Most people wouldn't do that, you know," Steven reminded her. "If anything, they'd just turn their backs and walk away."

"Well, what good would that do?" Mary Jane frowned. "It wouldn't solve the problem."

"And that says a lot right there," Steven pointed out. "It shows what kind of a person you are."

Mary Jane blinked in surprise at that.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You don't deserve the bad rap Ben's parents give you," Steven replied. "They-oh, I'm sorry," he apologized, seeing the pained look on Mary Jane's face.

"It's…okay," Mary Jane frowned, before sipping at her latte. "It…just..."

"Hurt?" Steven asked. "Yeah, I don't totally get it. I mean, from everything I've seen, you're not like your father at all."

Mary Jane pursed her lips in disgust at the mention of her father.

"I met him a few times when I was working for Hammer Labs," Steven replied, "and that was when I got to see what he was really like under his mask."

"Under his mask…Yeah, that's a good way of putting it," Mary Jane stared into her coffee. "He showed who he really was underneath it all, especially after he got involved in that gang war."

"Yeah, and that's why I owe you an apology," Steven replied.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked, looking up in surprise.

"I used to think you were like him," Steven explained, shame crossing his face. "Ben's parents and I figured that, since Phillip Watson acted the way he did, the apple wouldn't fall far from the tree."

"Well, as Kitty will tell you, I haven't always been the easiest person to get along with," Mary Jane replied with a rueful smile. "It says a lot about people like her and Liz that they were able to put up with my crap for so long."

"That's probably because they managed to see behind the mask and get a glimpse of the real you," Steven grinned. "I didn't, at least until now. But that's the funny thing, you know? People have so many sides to them, so many things they keep bottled up or hidden from everyone else. You think you know someone, but then something happens and you see their true colors."

"Yeah, that's true," Mary Jane smiled back.

"But see, the way you stuck up for people like Kitty and that shoe salesman shows who you really are," Steve explained. "And the way people like your boss and that fat lady act just show what they're really like, too," he continued, a trace of disgust in his voice.

"I never really thought of it that way," Mary Jane said after a few moments. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Levins…I feel a lot better now."

"My pleasure," he grinned back at her.

"I've got to go now, though," Mary Jane apologized, checking her watch. "I've got to get home and get ready for rehearsals tonight. I'll tell Kitty you said hi!"

"Take care!" Steven waved to her as she got up and headed for the door.

* * *

Steven Mark Levins sat there for another hour, contemplating the talk he'd had with Mary Jane.

He'd talked a lot about masks, which was fairly ironic considering the one he'd had to wear just now. While he'd understood why Kitty was friends with Mary Jane, he was still bemused by the extent of Ben's infatuation with her. Granted, that was one thing they both had in common, namely that they were headstrong kids who tended to dive into whatever it was they planned to do without thinking about the consequences.

And as Steven knew, there were always consequences.

Grinning to himself, he stood up and threw away his empty coffee cup, before heading for the door, putting all thoughts of Mary Jane Watson and Ben Reilly out of his mind.

He had a lot of planning to do for tonight.

* * *

After getting something to eat back at her apartment, Mary Jane had met Randy Robertson at the subway station before they took the next train to the theater. Mary Jane had that same feeling she always did before the first rehearsal, when she was about to meet her castmates-a sense of eager anticipation, a creative energy that she was eager to release. Much to her delight, but not to her surprise, she saw that Randy felt the same way, his eyes shining brightly and his face set in a wide grin.

"You'll like Mr. Ferguson," Randy told her as they left the subway station and came back to street level. "He's got a real passion for the theater."

"I'm still a little surprised he liked my singing so much," Mary Jane replied. "Like I said, I never thought I was really that good."

"That's because you don't give yourself enough credit," Randy reassured her. "Trust me, you'll nail it."

"That means a lot to me," Mary Jane replied, a smile of sincere appreciation crossing her face as she hugged him briefly.

Randy only grinned back as he returned the hug twofold.

* * *

Just as Randy had told her, Mary Jane saw that her fellow cast members were a wide ethnic mix. About half the cast was black, with a sizable minority of Hispanics, a few scattered whites and the odd Asian. Mary Jane and Randy both recognized many of them immediately, and they spent several minutes chatting with their old acquaintances, telling them what they'd been up to since they'd last worked together.

Eventually Randy introduced Mary Jane to Mr. Ferguson, the director. He was a tall, chubby man with a brush cut and a thick moustache, with solid gray temples that gave him an air of refinement, although his smiling, jovial manner kept him from appearing stuffy or uptight. Holding a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other, he was dressed in a casual T-shirt and jeans.

"Tom Ferguson, at your service," the director grinned, tipping the baseball cap he was wearing in a gentlemanly manner.

Mary Jane smiled back, before a funny look crossed her face.

"Is something wrong?" Mr. Ferguson asked her.

"I know you from somewhere," Mary Jane replied, frowning as she searched her memory. "I just can't think of where. Your voice sounds really familiar…"

"I take it you're a fan, then?" Mr. Ferguson grinned.

"…Huh?" Mary Jane asked in confusion, as Randy chuckled.

"Do you listen to _Better In the Dark?_" Mr. Ferguson asked, as he removed his baseball cap and gave it to Mary Jane. As she looked at it, she recognized the logo of radio station HABQ-FM, and her eyes lit up as she realized where she recognized him from.

"You're one of the Boys Outta Brooklyn, right?" Mary Jane grinned, as she handed Mr. Ferguson's cap back to him. Along with his partner Derrick Deja, Tom Ferguson co-hosted an entertainment news and talk show every morning on HABQ-FM, which Mary Jane regularly listened to so she could keep up on the theater scene.

"Oh, man…" she blushed in embarrassment. "I didn't even recognize you…I'm sorry…"

"Most people don't," Mr. Ferguson reassured her. "That's the nice thing about being on radio-you go out in public, and most people won't recognize you. It's always nice to meet a fan, though. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Well," Mary Jane smiled, suddenly a bit nervous, "Randy was really the one who encouraged me to try out. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him," she nodded at Randy, who had gotten into a conversation with another member of the cast.

"See, that's the cool thing about all great stories," Mr. Ferguson replied.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked him curiously.

"One of the big themes of _The Wizard of Oz _was that people oftentimes already have what they're looking for, they just don't believe in themselves. When they do, they're capable of a lot more than they realize. That's been a problem we've had to deal with for a long time," he frowned.

Mary Jane was about to ask him what he meant, before she quickly understood.

"That's a theme that _The Wiz _really plays up, especially in the movie," Mr. Ferguson continued. "That's why it's one of my favorite films."

"It's funny," Mary Jane reflected, as Randy came back to join them.

"What's that?" he asked.

"People often don't realize what they have or what they can do until someone else backs them up. Without Dorothy, her friends would never have grown the way they did. And without them, she never would have been able to get back to Kansas…or New York, in our case," she grinned.

Randy and Mr. Ferguson just laughed.

_**

* * *

**_

Later that night…

Three o'clock in the morning was usually a time when most people were asleep, although the criminals who operated the city's drug labs, bordellos, smuggling warehouses and gambling parlors were typically up and about conducting their unsavory business.

The inhabitants of one particular meth lab in the Bronx were one of the scattered bands left over from the collapse of the Maggia, the crime syndicate that had been all but decapitated by the gang war. Its underbosses had been murdered by the rival syndicates, who had also looted those bank accounts that the cops hadn't seized first. Violence had claimed many of the Maggia's henchmen, although no more so than the typical crossfire of the gang war.

Indeed, it was likely that the Maggia could have survived if not for the interventions of one supervillain, a crazed wild card who had invaded and destroyed many of the Maggia's holdings and murdered dozens of its operatives, crippling the syndicate's efforts to fight back against the police and its criminal rivals. Although most of the Maggia's underbosses had been murdered by the supervillains hired by its rivals, Jack O' Lantern had been the one to slaughter its executive leadership, including its overall leader, Silvermane.

A few of the scattered survivors of the Maggia's collapse were trying to reassert the organization, although they weren't having much success. With the Green Goblin's organization on shaky ground and Crimewave, Philippe Bazin and the Kingpin having retrenched and expanded, there was little to no room left for the Maggia.

Of course, as the residents of the Bronx meth lab found out, their criminal rivals weren't their only hazard.

The explosion of liquid napalm that blew open the roof of the building was the drug dealers' first warning, along with the bone-chilling laughter that followed. As the men scrambled to get to their feet, caught off guard by the explosion, Jack O' Lantern himself descended into view. His gloves and boots resembled dead skeletal limbs, and his chestplate was covered in what looked like tiny skull motifs, and his head was a flaming pumpkin, wreathed in dark flames and carved with a depraved, sadistic grin. The flames on the roof and ceiling suffused the room with a hellish glow, accenting Jack O' Lantern's demonic appearance, a monster descending into an abyss of his own creation.

_"Are you ready to play?" _Jack laughed as he released a deadly double blast from his wrist lasers, striking down two thugs who were cocking their pistols. Whirling around the bullets of two others who were shooting at him from behind, Jack tossed a pumpkin-shaped grenade at them that exploded in a burst of bladed shrapnel, cutting the men all over as they screamed in pain. Jack began laughing maniacally as he made his way through the rest of the lab, killing nine of the ten men who tried to fight back in less than a minute.

One of the drug workers tried to run, but Jack crippled him with a laser blast to the back of his leg before he could get out the door. Hopping off his skull-ringed hover disc, Jack slowly advanced on the last drug worker, who was begging incoherently for his life as he lay curled up on the floor.

_"What's the matter?" _Jack O' Lantern asked the sobbing drug worker. _"I take it you're not enjoying my game?" _

"Why…why…why you doin' this, man?" the gangbanger begged.

_"Because it's fun," _Jack O' Lantern replied, seeming to leer behind the perpetual grin that was carved into his pumpkin mask. _"And because I'm more evil than you'll ever be. You just do this for money. I do what I do because I want to see you suffer. I want to see you bleed. I want to see you beg for mercy. I want you to see me in your nightmares." _

The gangbanger was simply too frightened to say anything, and could only watch as Jack O' Lantern extended his talons and ripped the man's throat open.

_"He bleeds pretty well," _Jack observed to himself. _"It doesn't look like I'll have any trouble with this one," _he continued as he dipped his finger into the man's blood.

Once he had finished his business, Jack O' Lantern hopped back onto his hover disc and took off into the night, laughing insanely.

When the police came upon the scene several hours later, all they found was the destroyed equipment, ten maimed corpses, and a grisly message written on the wall in blood.

_**BEWARE, BEWARE! NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, JACK O'LANTERN IS COMING FOR YOU!**_

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane continues to experience ups and downs in her normal life, but things have become very quiet in her costumed life as Spider-Woman. The path of destruction Jack O'Lantern has cut through the Maggia and its remains has earned him a fearsome reptuation in the New York criminal underworld. Until now, however, he has not interacted with his fellow supervillains. What will happen, then, when he presents his vision to his fellow costumed criminals at the Bar With No Name? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #28: Behind the Mask, Part Two: Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself!)_


	31. Behind the Mask: Please Allow Me

"You're kicking too much with just the ball of your foot," Mary Jane Watson coached Kitty Pryde as they worked out in the apartment they shared. "You'll deliver a stronger blow if you hit the guy with your entire sole!"

Breathing heavily, Kitty shifted her feet before she kicked again, this time landing a good, solid blow on the padding Mary Jane was using to absorb the blows. They'd been forced to improvise by duct taping some couch pillows to a pair of old gardening gloves that Mary Jane wore on her hands, but it got the job done.

"You're coming along really well, Kitty," Mary Jane reassured her as they took five and sat down to drink some water. "Mr. Tajiri would be really impressed."

"Mr. Tajiri?" Kitty asked after she'd finally set down her water bottle.

"My old martial arts teacher," Mary Jane explained. "He taught me everything I know."

"Okay, yeah," Kitty nodded. "But I've got to say, MJ-I really appreciate your teaching me this self-defense stuff."

"Well, why wouldn't I?" Mary Jane asked in confusion. "Especially with all the crap you have to go through for being a mutant."

"At least it's been quiet the last few weeks," Kitty sighed. "I just wish I didn't have to do this."

"It's not just because you're a mutant, though," Mary Jane pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Kitty blinked in surprise.

"We live in New York, remember?" Mary Jane reminded her. "New York City? Highest crime rate in the nation? And remember who we are? Young coeds? Living alone? Sometimes have to go out in public in the evenings?"

"Yeah," Kitty frowned. "I mean, it's not like this neighborhood is that bad, but-"

"-but you never know what might happen," Mary Jane reminded her. "And don't forget-supervillains can strike just about anywhere."

"It's a hell of a town, isn't it?" Kitty quoted in a singsong voice as they returned to their sparring.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #28

BEHIND THE MASK, PART TWO

"PLEASE ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF"

* * *

Early August was one of Roderick Kingsley's favorite times of year. Not only was he able to watch the money roll in from the annual sales of his summer collections, he took a couple of weeks to relax from his busy schedule to enjoy the summer sun at his Long Island mansion. Normally he would be in the French Riviera by now, but circumstances required that he stay in New York. Fortunately, that was the advantage of modern communications-in 2007, technology like Facebook and Skype allowed business owners to stay in touch with their companies from almost anywhere in the world.

He had just finished another online meeting with his board of directors when his wife had come down to sit next to him, a pair of martinis in her hands. Handing one to him, Rebecca Kingsley began sipping at the other with satisfaction as Roderick rubbed at his eyes wearily.

"Stirred, not shaken?" he asked, sipping at his own drink.

"Always," Rebecca assured him. "So, what exactly are you planning?"

"Well, I've got those appointments at the Bar With No Name over the next few days," Kingsley reminded her. "It's really a high class establishment, except for the supervillain riffraff."

"Aren't you worried about being seen in a public place with a bunch of known criminals?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think the disguise is for?" Kingsley smirked. "No one will recognize me. Trust me, it'll be fine."

"I suppose," Rebecca mused as she swirled her drink in her hand. "Everything you've done in the past with this has been pretty profitable."

"Exactly," Kingsley reassured her. "And besides, it's been a hell of a lot of fun, too."

"Well, there is that," Rebecca grinned slyly, stretching her shoulders as she stood up, being sure to prominently lead with her breasts

Roderick looked his wife up and down with a wide, approving grin as he took in every lovely curve of her body. He was shocked by how good she still looked. Even though she was now thirty, she could still turn him on like no one else, save for a select few of his models.

Such as the voluptuous Mary Jane Watson, for example.

_

* * *

_

Living here, in this brand new world

_Might be a fantasy_

_But it's taught me to love_

_So it's real, real to me_

_And I've learned_

_That we must look inside our hearts_

_To find a world full of love_

_Like yours_

_Like me…_

_Like home…_

Tom Ferguson and the rest of the cast of _The Wiz _cheered Mary Jane as she smiled somewhat awkwardly and took a bow before their rehearsals ended for the evening. Weary as she was, Mary Jane still felt that same eager thrill she always did whenever she was on stage, being able to perform for an appreciative audience.

At the same time, though, she still couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"You did absolutely fantastic," Randy congratulated her when rehearsals were finally finished, as they left the theater together and got into his car. "I knew you had what it took!"

"…Thanks, Randy," Mary Jane smiled back.

"What's wrong?" Randy asked curiously, as he started the engine.

"Nothing," Mary Jane said, too quickly.

"MJ, come on," Randy rolled his eyes. "You're doing fine, believe me."

"I know," Mary Jane said, shaking her head in embarrassment. "I'm just not sure what's wrong…"

"I do," Randy noted. "You're still not sure about this, are you?"

"Well, I-" Mary Jane hesitated.

"Remember how Mr. Ferguson was saying how the themes in _The Wizard of Oz _were universal? About how that was the reason the story appealed to him?"

"Yeah…" Mary Jane paused.

"See, the thing that really resonated with us as black Americans was the message of what we were capable of if we believed in ourselves. You wouldn't believe the shit we've had to deal with-the stereotypes, the hatred, the feeling that we were second-class. We started thinking that way ourselves, and we suffered for it. That was one of the big things the civil rights movement was about-our reminding ourselves of what we're capable of. Baum touched on those themes, and we adapted it for ourselves in _The Wiz,_" Randy explained.

"Okay," Mary Jane rubbed her chin, not really sure where Randy was going. "But what-"

"But no matter who goes through that type of bad experience, the same thing happens every time," Randy continued. "They get down on themselves, and start forgetting what they can do, or even what they've already done. I see it all the time-I see it in you, even."

"…What?" Mary Jane asked incredulously. "Well…Randy…I mean, I've never gone through anything nearly as bad as…"

"Maybe not," Randy said, "but it still had the same effect. You had some tough times with your family growing up, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah…" Mary Jane looked away, not really wanting to talk about it.

"Even if it wasn't on the same scale, it was still a problem," Randy pointed out. "But that doesn't mean you can't get over it. You said it yourself-people often don't realize what they're capable of until someone backs them up on it."

"I guess…" Mary Jane replied.

"You don't guess, you _know_," Randy corrected her. "You showed it when you helped Kitty, I show it when I help you, Kitty showed it when she helped me."

"What did Kitty do?" Mary Jane asked.

"It's kind of a personal thing," Randy shook his head, "and I'd really rather not get into it. The point is that people are always focusing on the bad, and forgetting the good. That's what I love so much about _The Wiz-_we took Baum's story and made it our own, and now it's got a unique place in American culture, one that everyone can share in. That's the sort of thing I've always tried to do-to show the world what we're capable of and how we've helped build this country."

They pulled up in front of Mary Jane's apartment building, and she briefly thanked and hugged Randy for all his help.

She was silent as she made her way up the stairs and returned to her apartment, reflecting long and hard on Randy's words.

* * *

Mary Jane didn't have work the next day, so she did something she'd been meaning to do for a while. It took several adjoining trips on the bus, the subway and eventually the ferry, but she finally arrived at Ryker's Island, the infamous New York City island prison where many of the city's most dangerous criminals were kept, when they weren't shipped off to Attica Prison upstate. It was also known for containing the Raft, a special subsection of the prison specially designed to contain supervillains.

As she made her way into the Raft's visitors section, Mary Jane sat down and waited patiently. It had been a while since the first time since she'd visited Tarot alongside Harry Osborn and Liz Allan, and Mary Jane wondered if Tarot would be willing to see her again.

As it turned out, she didn't have long to wait, as Tarot, alias Marie-Ange Colbert, soon appeared. Tarot hadn't changed much, with her long dark hair contrasting oddly with her pale complexion. She was small and frail, just over five feet in height, and barely a hundred pounds. Nonetheless, her eyes gleamed brightly, and she carried herself with a determination that was both quiet and overwhelming at the same time.

"Mary Jane?" Tarot asked in surprise as she sat down and picked up the receiver. "I didn't expect to see you again."

"I know, I've been busy," Mary Jane replied apologetically. "I'm sorry, Marie-Ange, I really am."

"It's all right," Tarot assured her. "And please-I would prefer that you called me Tarot."

"Okay," Mary Jane shrugged. "So…how have you been doing?"

"Better, actually," Tarot replied, a thin smile playing about her lips. "My therapist says I've been making a lot of progress. And I've made a lot of friends in here, too."

"Friends?" Mary Jane asked in surprise. "Like who, exactly?"

"Not any of the supervillains, if that's what you're thinking," Tarot smiled again. "Most of the supervillains in here are lost causes. Electro, the Mongoose, Firebrand, Mister Hyde, Screaming Mimi…they're just…ugh," she shuddered. "Some of the older female inmates kind of took me under their wing, looked out for me in here. I've been helping them, too-giving them support with my tarot readings."

"Tarot readings?" Mary Jane blinked.

"They let me keep my cards as a reward for my good behavior," Tarot explained, pulling the deck out of her pocket and shuffling the cards with remarkable dexterity. "My power restraints keep me from using my mutant powers, but they can't stop me from using the magic of the cards."

"Alright, I guess," Mary Jane blinked again. "So things are going good for you otherwise, then?"

"As good as they can, under the circumstances," Tarot replied. "How about you?"

"Pretty good," Mary Jane said. "I'm starring in this new production of _The Wiz, _and I've been crazy busy with rehearsals."

"I'm glad to hear it," Tarot answered. "How were things after the death of your father?"

"It hurt," Mary Jane sighed, "but I've come to terms with it. How about your parents? Do they still keep in touch with you?"

"Of course they do," Tarot assured her. "They were here earlier today, actually. They've been a rock of support for me, especially considering everything I've done."

"Maybe, but you're trying to make up for it, aren't you?" Mary Jane ventured. "I mean, you're helping out some of the other prisoners, getting help with your problems, that sort of thing. And besides, from what I heard you played just as big a part in stopping the Bookworm as Spider-Woman did."

"Only after Spider-Woman made me realize what I'd been doing," Tarot sighed. "I just wish…I don't know..."

"Hey, you're trying to make up for it," Mary Jane replied. "And for what it's worth…I believe in you."

Tarot brightened at that.

"That actually makes me feel a lot better," she grinned. "And I appreciate your coming out here-no one really does, except my parents."

"I'll try to come back on a more regular basis," Mary Jane promised. "Was there anything else you needed?"

"No, simply having someone to talk to is a big help," Tarot replied. "Is there something I maybe do to return the favor?"

"No, it's alright," Mary Jane smiled, as she rose to leave, until Tarot spoke again.

"How about a reading?" she asked, a question that gave Mary Jane pause.

"A…reading?" she asked in surprise, as she sat back down.

"Yes," Tarot invited her. "We can get a table so I can spread the cards out."

"Well, I don't know…" Mary Jane shook her head. "I don't really believe in that sort of thing."

"You believe that I can somehow conjure up all kinds of bizarre spirits, each with its own unique ability, but you don't think there's anything to the cards?" Tarot asked in wry amusement. "Even if that's true, then what's the harm of doing a reading? It won't mean anything in the end."

Mary Jane couldn't argue with that logic, so she finally nodded in agreement.

* * *

Mary Jane didn't understand why Tarot had put the cards in the formation that she did, or why she had been made to shuffle the deck herself. Nor did she understand what kind of message the cards were apparently sending Tarot-some of them appeared to be the same kind of "name" cards she'd fought as Spider-Woman, while others seemed to have random collections of cups or wands.

"You don't know the difference between the Major and the Minor Arcana, do you?" Tarot asked in wry amusement.

"Well, no," Mary Jane said in some embarrassment.

"Most people don't," Tarot sighed as she perused the cards. "Most of them think that Death actually means death or dying, which it doesn't…hmmm, interesting," she finished.

"What?" Mary Jane asked.

"There's a lot more to you than there appears," Tarot reflected. "There's so much you keep hidden from the world…but it complements what you do show to them. It comes out in different ways at different times, but it's all part of the same whole, as the different parts reflect and complement one another."

Mary Jane just sat there in mild astonishment, as Tarot gathered up her cards and looked back at Mary Jane with a new respect.

"…I don't know what to say," Mary Jane finally said after a few moments.

"And here I used to think you were just another flighty snob, like Felicia Hardy," Tarot mused. "Shows how much I knew."

"Well…thanks," Mary Jane replied, not sure what else to say.

"It's my pleasure," Tarot replied. "And for what it's worth, Mary Jane…I believe in you too."

Mary Jane only replied with an encouraging smile, a thumbs-up and a wink.

* * *

"Do you know anybody named Mark?" Kitty asked Mary Jane when she returned to their apartment later that afternoon.

"I didn't tell you about Mark Raxton?" Mary Jane blinked in surprise. "I met him when we went to Fire Island. He goes to ESU as a Business major."

"I take it he's a frat guy, too?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah, why?" Mary Jane frowned.

"He called to invite you to a party at his fraternity house tonight," Kitty replied.

"Awesome!" Mary Jane said brightly. "What was his number?"

"He gave his cell," Kitty said, before she gave Mary Jane the number. "Were you planning to go?"

"Well, yeah," Mary Jane said in confusion. "Is there any reason I shouldn't?"

"What about Randy?" Kitty asked. "You've been spending all that time with him, going to rehearsals and everything. Don't tell me you haven't noticed how much he's crushing on you!"

"Well…" Mary Jane looked down at the floor. "I don't know if I like him like that. I mean, he's a great guy and all, but…"

"And what about Ben?" Kitty persisted. "He likes you a lot, too. And now there's this Mark guy?"

Mary Jane flinched at that, remembering the very blunt threats Andrew Reilly had thrown her way if she didn't stay away from his son.

"I'd rather not see if your uncle makes good on those threats he made against me," Mary Jane replied, somewhat defensively. "What are you trying to say, exactly?" she continued, although she was already catching on.

"I mean you owe it to all three of these guys to make a decision," Kitty answered. "Randy really likes you, and so does Ben. I don't know much about this Mark guy, but if you hit it off with him you've got to think about his feelings, too. Do you really want to seem like you're stringing them along?"

Mary Jane frowned again, realizing that Kitty was right. Ben and Randy had both been rocks of support for her over the last few weeks, and she had unwittingly hurt Randy when she'd gone out with Ben to that party at the Plaza Hotel. Even though it hadn't been Mary Jane's intention, Randy had felt betrayed, thinking that they'd become a couple.

"That's the problem, though," Mary Jane said, voicing her thoughts out loud. "I care about Randy, I really do…but I'm not just not interested in him that way. I don't know Mark quite as well yet, but he and I just seem to click. And I hit it off really well with Ben, but now all I can think of when I think of him is his parents. They…"

"…I know," Kitty reassured her. "I don't know what's with them. Ben was pretty unhappy when he found out about what they did. But what about Randy? Have you asked him how he feels? Have you told him?"

"No," Mary Jane admitted. "I was kind of afraid of hurting him again if I do. He's done so much for me, and I really appreciate it…but I think of him as a really close friend, you know?"

"Sure I do," Kitty nodded. "But eventually you're going to have to clear the air with him. And you need to be honest-that's the least Randy deserves."

"You're right," Mary Jane nodded. "Do you think I should still go to this frat party with Mark?"

"It's up to you," Kitty shrugged, "but if you want my advice you'll get to know this guy better before you go too far with him. What's he really like?"

"That's what I'll be seeing tonight," Mary Jane replied.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ben Reilly demanded as he stormed into his father Andrew's study, before slamming the door behind him.

"Is something wrong, son?" Andrew Reilly asked curiously, looking up from his computer.

"Jessica's friends told me that you told her that I never wanted to see her again!" Ben snapped back. "You threatened Mary Jane Watson! And you told Amy that she's too fat to be dating me. _Too fat? __**What the hell's the matter with you?**_"

"You should really be asking what's the matter with you," Andrew frowned back irritably. "With your horrible taste in women, I'd be abdicating my responsibility as a parent if I didn't intervene. I'm only looking out for your own best interests, you know…"

"Dammit, I'm old enough to be making my own decisions!" Ben shouted back, his temper rising. "I don't need you coddling me like I'm still five fucking years old!"

"Maybe you're forgetting who's paying your way through medical school," Andrew replied harshly, rising from his desk, "and who's putting a roof over your head. I'd think you'd be more inclined to show a little gratitude for that."

"I would, if you'd actually let me make my own mistakes and solve my own problems!" Ben stated, not backing down an inch. "All you do is baby me and treat me like I'm too stupid to think for myself!"

"That's because you keep making stupid decisions," Andrew answered testily. "Why you wanted to study medicine at a public university like Empire State is absolutely beyond me-"

"Because I wanted to be with my friends and family," Ben explained, "and because ESU's medical program is one of the best in the state! Why would I need to go all the way to an Ivy League program?"

"Because you can and you should," Andrew shook his head in disgust. "Instead, you spend all your time and my money going to a low-rent school and chasing after even lower-rent girls."

"Well then, maybe I don't need your money," Ben finally sighed. "I'm done. I'm sick of you and Mom trying to control me. I don't care if I have to get another job on top of interning at Bellevue, I'll pay my own way through medical school."

"If you insist," Andrew raised an eyebrow, his eyes gleaming as Ben turned and left the room.

* * *

Mark Raxton looked pretty much the same as he always did when he met Mary Jane at the corner of the street his frat house was located on. His eyes gleamed bright blue in the light of the summer evening, his red-brown hair was pleasantly unkempt and gave him a certain roguish charm, and he was surprisingly well-dressed in a classy short-sleeved shirt and dress pants.

"You certainly look nice," Mark grinned as he greeted Mary Jane.

"So do you," Mary Jane replied with a smile, as she hugged him back. "Was there something going on today?"

"The brothers and I did a lot of volunteer work today," Mark replied, "and we needed to make ourselves presentable. This party we're having is mostly a way to unwind and reward ourselves after everything we've been doing over the last week."

"Volunteer work?" Mary Jane asked in surprise as they headed towards the frat house.

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "See, I just get so damn sick of the stereotypes you get from those stupid _American Pie _and _National Lampoon _films, where they portray fraternity guys as drunken hooligans who're only interested in sex. That's the whole reason I joined my fraternity-to get away from that crap," he concluded as they came up the steps of the frat house.

The scene inside was fairly straightforward-groups of young people chatting amiably on the couches and at the tables as music played in the background. Kegs and coolers dotted the rooms, with what looked like a mix of soft drinks, beer and cheap wine.

"Doesn't exactly look like a wild sex farce, does it?" Mary Jane quipped as they sat down with some of Mark's fraternity brothers.

"That's the whole point," Mark grinned, before he introduced her to some of the other guys and their dates.

"You're that girl who's starring in Tom Ferguson's production of _The Wiz, _aren't you?" another one of the frat brothers asked.

"Yeah, I am," Mary Jane said in surprise. "How'd you know?"

"The girl who plays Glinda the Good is my girlfriend," the guy smiled. "She and I have our own band on the side."

"The catch is that you guys have a lot of talent, but you also have really bad taste," Mark pointed out, a grimace on his face. "I mean, Lisa Loeb is _so _1990s."

"This, from the guy who's obsessed with Deep Purple?" the other guy rolled his eyes. "Come on, there's a reason Ritchie Blackmore got sick of that stuff."

"Hey, Deep Purple is iconic," Mark argued. "I mean, what did Lisa Loeb actually do besides date one of Frank Zappa's kids?"

Mary Jane merely sat back and watched as the two frat brothers argued, even as the other people sitting around the table followed her lead.

As much as she enjoyed going to high-class galas, beach parties and dance clubs, she also found these more laid-back gatherings to be very relaxing.

* * *

Yancy Street was in a particularly bad part of town, one where the criminal element reigned and every law-abiding family who could afford it had long since fled. Poverty and abuse were rampant, and many of the buildings in the neighborhood had been abandoned, only to be taken up by criminals as everything from meth labs to crack houses to informal supervillain lairs. One such building was a run-down community center, its boarded windows and overgrown lawn fitting in perfectly well with the bleak, rundown character of the rest of the neighborhood.

At any other time, it might have seemed abandoned. Now, however, it was packed with many of the city's most notorious supercriminals, who had each received an invitation to appear here at this time and place. Whether they were rising talents like 8-Ball and Screaming Mimi or longstanding veterans like the Mongoose and the Jester, everyone in the room had the bizarre outfits and even more bizarre equipment and/or superhuman abilities that had come to define criminal activity in the twenty-first century.

Everyone in the room was very dangerous to cross and not one to take lightly-they would never have lasted very long as supervillains if they weren't-but there were a select few villains who distinctly unnerved their fellows. Psyko was perhaps the most frightening of them all, particularly after he'd mentally enslaved so many of his fellows and subjected to them to their worst nightmares over and over again during the riots he'd caused in New York several months ago, but the likes of Doctor Octopus, Batroc the Leaper, Sabertooth and Stilt-Man still sent shivers down the spines of even the other criminals and murderers who shared their profession.

The person who had organized this meeting, and who now stood on a stage preparing to address the crowd, was one of those villains who'd gained particular notoriety in the supervillain community. His gloves and boots were made to look like skeletal limbs, the chest plate covering his torso was crafted to look as if it was covered in tiny skulls, and his head was a grotesque flaming pumpkin carved with a sadistic, leering grin. A variety of trinkets and weapons hung from his belt, and his voice, when he spoke, was a horrible rasping noise.

Jack O'Lantern looked around at the faces in the audience, smiling inwardly at the way they looked at him. He had made quite the name for himself as a supervillain, particularly his role in destroying the crime syndicate referred to as the Maggia. He'd murdered dozens of the cartel's members ranging from lowly thugs to elite bosses, up to and including Silvermane, the head of the entire organization. The remnants of the Maggia had been trying to retrench since the gang war that destroyed their organization had ended, but Jack had killed them as well. He was not particularly known for being choosy when it came to his victims, and he'd also killed a number of passersby in his rampages, seemingly for no better reason than to watch them die.

Try as they might, neither the police nor any of the city's superheroes had been able to catch him, as his body count continued to rise.

Jack O'Lantern had originally distributed the invitations to each villain over the course of several nights at the Bar With No Name, a high-class bar and brothel owned by the Kingpin which had become the hangout of choice for New York's supervillain population. The invitations hadn't said much, save that what he had to say would bring those who heard it immense wealth, power and pleasure. Normally most of the superhuman criminals would never have taken a second look at such promises, but many of them had come simply out of curiosity due to Jack O'Lantern's rapidly rising stature within the supervillain community.

"_Do you know what I see here tonight, as I stare out into the crowd?" _Jack O'Lantern asked, an edge of triumph in his voice. _"I see people of a like mind, who know what they are and revel in it. I see visionaries, I see the future!" _

Some of the villains murmured in confusion among themselves, unsure of what Jack O'Lantern was saying. Even the likes of Doctor Octopus and Stilt-Man, as infamous and deadly as they were, looked back at him with interest.

Satisfied that his audience was listening, Jack O'Lantern continued.

"_The people out there, our victims and our prey, are sanctimonious hypocrites who hide their true selves behind a façade of civilized bullshit, wearing their petty little masks and going about their pathetic, everyday lives. They follow society's rules like mindless sheep, content to waste away their lives while holding back people like us, people who take what they want and do what they want to who they want!" _

"_You, I, all of us, we are not afraid to let our true natures show, to indulge our cruelty, our sadism and our greed! We know we're not supposed to do these things, but that's why we do them! We do them because it's fun, because we're evil! Criminals, psychopaths, monsters, call us what you will! Our appearances match our identities, and we take pride in it!" _

Occasional cheers and laughter came from some of the more sadistic villains in the crowd.

"_In indulging our greed and our hate, many of us have taken employment as hired thugs and assassins for the crime syndicates. The crimelords use us as soldiers in their wars with each other and with the authorities-they rely on us to do the heavy lifting and get the job done for them! To a degree, I respect them-they indulge their greed and perversions in much the same way we do." _

"_But why should we be their servants, their hired guns, their lackeys? We are the ones with the power, with the vision, with the courage to live our lives the way we want! Why, then, shouldn't we be the ones to run the criminal syndicates? The Green Goblin had the right idea in trying to beat the crime lords at their own game and forming a syndicate of his own, but he tried to work within the system the crime lords set up. That's why his empire is collapsing!" _

The murmuring in the crowd was growing louder now.

"_The crimelords are relics of the past! Our victims muddle through their lives, mindlessly obeying the rules that interfere with our fun! We are the ones who revel in the chaos, destruction and sorrow! are the future, we are tomorrow!" _

"_That is why I propose the formation of a new criminal organization-one where we, the supervillains, take charge ourselves! The Masters of Evil have been formed on multiple occasions by villains who united for a common cause…but their alliances were temporary, their goals short-term. I foresee a new, permanent syndicate, one that will allow us to rise to new heights of fun, profit and power! The wealth we'll gain, the suffering we'll cause, and the fun we'll have will rise to new heights!" _

_"__**We are tomorrow!**__"_ Jack O'Lantern rhapsodized, his voice taking on an even more manic edge than before. _"__**We are the future, the horror and destruction that await not just the city, but the state, the country, the world! Alone we are frightening, we are dangerous, but united we are Legion!**__"_

" _**Join me, and we will show the world what we mean! Who is with me?"**_

Quite a few of the villains seemed skeptical, and made no move to respond to Jack O'Lantern's call, but several others burst into cheering and eagerly called out their support to the pumpkin-headed maniac, thinking of the chaos they would cause and the profits they would enjoy.

"_**We are tomorrow!" **_Jack O'Lantern repeated once again.

"_**We are Legion!" **_

"_**We are the Tomorrow Legion!" **_

_And you, Spider-Woman…_Jack O'Lantern thought to himself, as he reveled in the support he enjoyed from his fellow costumed criminals, _I haven't forgotten you in my magnum opus. Everything is coming together, and all is ready. _

_For me, there's a glorious new era, all my fondest wishes and dreams come true. _

_For you, there's only suffering and death. _

_**I know it sounds sordid**_

_**But you'll be rewarded**_

_**When at last I am given my dues**_

_**And injustice deliciously squared**_

_**Be prepared!**_

_-_**Scar, **_**The Lion King**_

(_**Next Issue:**_ Jack O'Lantern wastes no time in unleashing his newly assembled Tommorow Legion in a coordinated crime spree that ravages across a New York City still rebuilding after the gang war, as many of the city's supervillains attempt to seize direct control of New York's criminal networks! As the city's superheroes and police struggle against the mayhem the villains cause, Spider-Woman finds herself specifically targeted by her pumpkin-headed nemesis, who intends to settle the score with his heroic nemesis once and for all! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #28: Behind the Mask, Part Three: Devil's Night!)_


	32. Behind the Mask: Devil's Night

_**Everyone sees what you appear to be.**_

_**Few know what you really are. **_

_**-**_**Niccolo Machiavelli, **_**The Prince**_

"Talk about a coincidence," Mary Jane Watson quipped to Kitty Pryde as they put away the groceries they'd brought back to their apartment.

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked in confusion.

"I mean the music," Mary Jane explained, gesturing towards the radio, which was playing Geri Halliwell's cover version of _It's Raining Men. _"It kind of sums up how I'm feeling right now."

"You mean with Randy, Ben and this Mark guy?" Kitty scratched her head.

"Yeah," Mary Jane nodded. "Remember what you told me about needing to make a decision on one of those guys?"

"Right," Kitty recalled. "So, does that mean that-"

"No," Mary Jane frowned. "I'm still trying to figure it out," she explained. "I mean, you're right that I'm not being fair to them, but…I…" she hesitated. "They're all really sweet guys, and I kind of hate to let any of them down, you know?"

"I do," Kitty nodded, "but like I said, you're going to end up letting them all down if you don't make a choice."

Mary Jane just leaned back against the counter, a faraway look in her eyes, as she tried to figure out what to do.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #29

BEHIND THE MASK, PART THREE

"DEVIL'S NIGHT"

* * *

Maggie Beck stood up from her work with a smile, satisfied that her preparations were complete. All the work she'd put into her criminal psychology studies was about to pay off, particularly with what she was going to accomplish over the next few weeks. All the supervillains she'd spoken with, and more particularly all the things she'd done, were going to culminate in the final phase of her studies.

A wide, eager grin crossed her face as she thought of the benefits she was going to reap from all her efforts.

"Glad to have you aboard," Lydia Ryan smiled as she shook hands with her latest hire. "Hours are pretty straightforward, 8:30 to 4:30, entry-level salary, business-casual attire with fully casual Fridays, health insurance with our company provider, you start tomorrow. Sounds fair?"

"Sure does," Maddie Lieber-Watson replied with a smile. "It looks like a really nice place to work."

"That's because it is," Lydia assured Maddie.

Working as a receptionist at Richmond Industries wasn't exactly what Maddie had grown up dreaming of doing. However, after everything she'd been through with Phillip Watson she was just glad to have some stability in her life and to be earning some money to help out her family.

* * *

Jason Phillip Macendale pored intently over his plans for the next few days, particularly everything to do with the fall of Norman Osborn and his outing as the Green Goblin. Now, with the destruction of the Maggia and Osborn being revealed as the Green Goblin, there was even more of a void in the New York crime world, as two of the five major syndicates were no more. From all his experience with New York's criminal class, Macendale knew that Philippe Bazin, Crimewave and the Kingpin would peacefully expand to fill the void left behind by the Maggia and the Goblin without any more violence. They weren't interested into going to war again, not when there was no profit in it.

But in the meantime, Macendale realized, the gap was wide open for any new criminal cartels who wanted to establish themselves.

He smiled widely at the thought of it, and started to laugh.

* * *

Mary Jane's brow furrowed in frustration as she crossed the Empire State University campus, having serious doubts about the wisdom of taking out another large student loan when she'd already taken out a sizable one _last _year. Unfortunately, she didn't have much choice-she hadn't been able to get any other scholarships, and she had enough trouble paying bills as it was without additional tuition.

Maybe she could ask Grandpa Lieber or Aunt Anna for help, but she really didn't feel right sponging off-

Mary Jane managed to stop herself at the last second before she would have run smack into a tall, gangly blonde boy who flashed a wide grin as he considered her. She recognized him as Kenny Anderson, one of Kitty Pryde's other friends who she'd met at Ben Reilly's birthday party several months ago. His ridiculous attempts at flirting hadn't particularly impressed Mary Jane when she first met him, but looking back on it now she found it rather funny. Indeed, the smile plastered on his face was both goofy and lovesick, his fashion sense questionable at best, and his mussed-up hair clearly hadn't been combed for several days, and yet Mary Jane found him almost charming in his own bizarre way.

"Oh, wow, Mary Jane!" Kenny's stupid grin became even wider. "You look fantastic this morning! I mean, you always look gorgeous, but wow…I mean…"

"Thanks, Kenny," Mary Jane giggled in spite of herself. "It's nice to see you too. How's Julia doing?"

"Pretty well," Kenny mused. "I'll tell her you said hello. I'm sure she'd love to meet you for coffee some time."

"That'd be great," Mary Jane smiled. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Renewing my stay in my dorm room," Kenny replied, "but I was actually hoping to run into you."

"…Me?" Mary Jane asked in surprise. "What for?"

"I was wondering if you'd help me with a school project," Kenny explained, his grin vanishing and his face taking on a surprisingly earnest tone. "I need some attractive subjects, and…well…" he flushed in embarrassment.

"Well, if you need an attractive subject, I'm sure I can help you with that," Mary Jane grinned back, "but what exactly did you have in mind?"

"It's for an art project I was planning to do," Kenny answered. "I was wondering if you'd pose for some of my drawings."

That made Mary Jane pause.

"Umm…yeah…" she hesitated. "Do you mean, like, nude modeling? Because, I'd rather not-"

"No, no, no!" Kenny reassured her hastily, waving his hands in denial. "This wouldn't be a nude scene, I promise! What I'm actually hoping to do is subvert the traditional idea of erotica, by showing how women can look just as good with their clothes on and in a fantastic or contemporary setting."

"Having their clothes on?" Mary Jane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sick of nudes, pornography and swimsuits," Kenny frowned. "I mean, if you've seen one swimsuit calendar you've seen them all, and nudes and porn are both so common these days they've not even subversive anymore. But what I want to see is if I can show women as attractive when they're fairies, superheroes, or even more normal things like when they're sitting with their pets or stuffed toys, or when they're walking in the woods. There's less of an emphasis on pure sexual titillation and more on how the subjects blend in with the scene around them," he concluded.

Mary Jane rubbed her chin thoughtfully, intrigued by what Kenny was saying. She didn't know much about art herself, but she had to admit what he was proposing sounded interesting.

"So how would this work, exactly?" she asked.

"I've got a series of sketches prepared," Kenny explained, handing her a folio of work, "and I'd like you to pick out one or two that you'd like to pose in. Then, you'd pose for me while I drew you, and then I'd construct the rest of the scene around it."

Mary Jane nodded, but she was only hearing half of what he was saying as she glanced through the pre-sketched scenes that Kenny had given her. Her mouth fell open in amazement as she marveled over how beautifully rendered they were.

"This…is…wow, just wow," Mary Jane mumbled in amazement as she handed the drawings back to Kenny. "I had no idea you were so gifted," she said warmly.

"Oh…well…thanks," he grinned as he took back the sketches. "Did you want to set up an appointment for it?"

"How about this Saturday?" Mary Jane asked him. "Say, 10 in the morning?"

"It's a date," Kenny agreed.

"…Of the purely platonic kind, of course," he added with a wink.

Mary Jane just giggled at that.

* * *

Liz Allan watched the TV in stunned silence as the footage of Norman Osborn flying out of the Green Goblin's hideout on the Green Goblin's glider while dressed in a Green Goblin costume played on the news that evening. She felt sick with horror as she recalled all of the Goblin's crimes, and even more sick as she realized what Harry must have gone through with having a criminal maniac for a father.

To her surprise, she looked over at Harry Osborn and found that his expression was cold and stone-faced, betraying no sign of emotion.

They sat in silence for a minute, before Liz tried to speak.

"Harry, are you-" she tried to ask him, before he finally took his gaze off the TV and looked back at her.

"I know why he probably did it," Harry said calmly.

"What do you mean?" Liz asked in confusion.

"Why he began dressing up like a Halloween freak. Why he wanted to become the major crime lord of New York. Why he tried to blow up City Hall, why he tried to murder the District Attorney, why he tried to kill Spider-Man," Harry explained impassively.

"The only thing that's ever meant anything to Norman Osborn was control. Control over himself, control over those around him, control over anything and everything he could influence or that could influence him. He'd do whatever it took to gain that power, and when he ran into something that he couldn't control he'd go mad with rage. He saw my grandfather lose control, lose the family fortune and all his wealth and power, and Norman swore it would never happen to him," Harry stated, always in that same measured tone.

"He crushed his opponents as he rebuilt Osborn Industries, and to do that he probably enlisted the help of the New York crime syndicates. But the crime syndicates probably had leverage on him, leverage that they used to remind him who was in charge. I'm sure that infuriated Norman, although he never let it show-he was a master at keeping his true feelings hidden behind a mask," Harry continued.

"For all his anger, his hate and his desire for power, Norman took a sick pleasure in the fear he inspired in people. He liked making them afraid, making them yield to him. And I bet that was what gave him an edge against the syndicates-he was already so good at inspiring fear that he realized he could use it to take control of the syndicates himself…" Harry trailed off.

Liz just sat there, mute with amazement.

"He always used to have nightmares about demons and goblins, and Norman probably figured he could use those same nightmares to scare others and make them do what he wanted. That's when he turned himself into the Green Goblin, and what he probably based his weapons on. If he became the major crime lord of New York, he'd have control both of Osborn Industries and the crime world that helped him rise to power," Harry resumed speaking.

"And then, when Spider-Man started interfering in his plans, Norman's rage boiled up again. He couldn't control Spider-Man and the web-slinger kept thwarting his attempts to gain power and control others. All that anger and all that hate began building within him, until the volcano finally exploded. He went after that Gwen Stacy girl because her father Captain Stacy had begun crippling his organization, and tried to regain some of his power by showing the world what happened when you got him angry…"

"…and now Spider-Man, Captain Stacy and Sleepwalker between them have destroyed his life's work. Osborn Industries is doomed-Norman's assets and shares in Oscorp are going to be frozen, the stock price will fall, and the corporate raiders are going to tear it apart like sharks."

"All Norman Osborn has left is the Goblin, and he's going to be a very good Goblin," Harry finished.

Liz sat there in stunned silence for several minutes.

"…How do you know all this?" she asked, almost afraid to do so.

When Harry turned back to her, it was with the most haunted look she had ever seen, one that sent chills down her spine.

"Because that's what I've grown up with," Harry explained, his voice cracking. "Because I saw his rages, his obsessions, his twisted pleasure in ruining his opponents' lives. Because I saw the other side of a man who was a sociopathic control freak. Because I got to know him better than he knows himself."

"Those are the sorts of things you learn when you're Norman Osborn's son," Harry's voice quivered, as tears began to appear in his eyes.

All Liz could do was hug Harry tightly, shivering as she felt Harry's own sadness and horror, kept hidden so long but finally released, a sensation so powerful that it was almost tangible all around him.

All Liz could do was hug Harry tightly.

And try not to think of the horrors Harry must have endured growing up in the house of Norman Osborn.

* * *

Steven Mark Levins watched the very same broadcast with a much more thoughtful look on his face, noting how well Norman Osborn's background meshed with what had just been revealed about his identity as the Green Goblin. From everything Levins had heard about Norman Osborn and his connections with the late unlamented Phillip Watson, it made a strange type of sense that someone as obsessively vindictive as Norman would go to the trouble of constructing a supervillain identity simply as a means of attaining more personal power.

Steven found that very interesting, particularly how even then Norman still ended up revealing his true character when he put on that green-themed fright mask.

* * *

There had been times when Mary Jane had felt angry, frustrated or depressed, but now all she felt was nervous concern as she made her way up the drive to Peter and Ben Parker's Forest Hills home the next day after work. After everything she'd seen on TV last night, particularly the lengths Peter had gone to in saving Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane was sick with worry over what might have happened to them both. Knocking insistently on the door, Mary Jane had been torturing herself all day with her fears of what might have happened to Peter both physically and mentally, recalling her own all too painful experiences as a superheroine.

Ben Parker only opened the door a crack, a suspicious scowl on his face, but upon seeing Mary Jane he swung the door open and invited her in, his scowl changing to a look of considerable relief.

"…Are you okay?" Mary Jane asked curiously.

"Yeah, I am," Ben sighed. "I've just had reporters bugging me all day today trying to talk to Peter, but he's at the hospital with Gwen. Not that I told them that, mind you."

"How are they?" Mary Jane asked, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.

"Better than could be expected, actually," Ben smiled sadly. "Peter suffered some injuries in his fight with the Goblin, but it's nothing he won't be able to heal from. Gwen's going to be alright, too-she suffered a terrible shock, but they say she should make a full recovery. The Stacys are fighters-they've had to take at least three bullets out of Gwen's father over the years, but he's always recovered and insisted on going back to work."

"Thank God," Mary Jane breathed a sigh of relief. "How's Peter otherwise, though? I mean, mentally?"

"I don't know," Ben shook his head sadly. "He says that Norman actually saw him without his mask on, and now with Osborn still on the loose…who's to say he won't try to come after Gwen again? Or come after me? And the look that Peter got in his eyes…"

All of a sudden, Mary Jane felt very, very worried once again.

"Do you know when he'll be home?" she asked.

"Visiting hours ended just now, so probably pretty soon," Ben replied. "Why do you ask? Do you think you can-"

Ben was interrupted by the front door slamming and Peter Parker stomping into the room, a determined look on his face. Marching into the living room where Ben and Mary Jane were talking, his intent gaze turned into a look of confusion when he cast his eyes on the two people waiting for him.

"Uncle Ben…Mary Jane?" he asked in surprise. "What's going on here?" Peter demanded, the dark look crossing his face once again.

"I just came by to see how you were doing," Mary Jane replied before Ben could speak. "I was so worried after what I saw what happened on TV. Gwen's going to be alright, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Peter nodded, heaving a deep sigh as he rubbed his temples. "She's just in shock. Captain Stacy's looking after her around the clock, so she should be okay even if the Goblin comes after her. Sleepwalker said he'd stop by and check on her too."

"And how about you?" Mary Jane asked in a softer voice.

"I'll b fine," Peter said brusquely. "My wounds weren't that bad, really. The cuts on my arms will take a couple of days to heal, but I'll just wear long-sleeved shirts in the meantime."

"You know that's not what I mean," Mary Jane shook her head, speaking more firmly this time. "You've got that look in your eyes."

"…What?" Peter asked in surprise, recoiling somewhat as Uncle Ben discreetly left the room.

"All that anger and hate," Mary Jane explained, coming closer to Peter and locking her eyes with his. "You don't just want to stop the Goblin. You want to make him bleed, make him scream, make him beg for mercy, don't you? You're going to hunt him down and make him pay for what he did to Gwen, aren't you?"

Peter looked away, no longer able to match her gaze. In response, Mary Jane reached out and grasped his hand, but he pulled it away.

"Peter, listen to me," Mary Jane continued, more insistently this time. "If you let that rage consume you, then you're going to drive everyone around you away. If you let your anger get out of control, then you could even hurt or kill the innocent people you're trying to protect."

Peter looked back at her, curiosity replacing his defensiveness.

"…How do you know?" he asked slowly.

"Because that's what I was like when I first started out as a crimefighter," Mary Jane explained. "I was so full of anger at my father for everything he did to my mother and I, and when I thought I was a mutant I became even angrier when I remembered his support of the anti-mutant hate movement. I put on my costume just to spite him, and vent all that rage."

"I pushed away everyone around me, and I got a lot better than I deserved when they put up with my bullshit," Mary Jane continued. "And I didn't just defeat my enemies, I actively beat on them, tried to make them suffer. I was so reckless I could have nearly gotten a lot of innocent bystanders killed. I didn't, but that was just out of luck. My friends had to call me out before I finally realized what I was doing."

"You became a superhero out of responsibility and trying to do the right thing. I became a superhero just to hurt people and release my anger. Please, Peter…I don't want the same thing to happen to you," she concluded. "If you fight Norman Osborn to bring him to justice, then you're doing the right thing. If you're just doing it out of revenge, then you've forgotten what your Aunt May told you."

A pained expression crossed Peter's face, and in response Mary Jane came over and grasped his hand, looking into his eyes once again.

"But…what if…the Goblin…if I hadn't…" he stammered.

"But you did," Mary Jane pointed out. "You saved Gwen from being killed by the Goblin. She needs to be treated for shock, but without you she wouldn't even be alive. And you're not the only one looking after Gwen, either-Captain Stacy's obviously going to protect her, and Sleepwalker's helping out too. Every law enforcement agency in the country's probably going to be going after the Goblin-he's threatened a lot of powerful people, hasn't he? Like when he tried to blow up City Hall?"

"Yeah," Peter nodded. "He never made too many friends as a businessman, either-I bet all the people he's stepped on are going to be eager for some payback, if they get the chance."

"See?" Mary Jane pointed out. "Because of you, not only is Gwen alive, but now Norman Osborn is going to answer for his crimes. All of his victims, both the people he's ruined as a businessman and the people he's hurt and killed as the Goblin, are finally going to get some justice. All because of you."

Peter reflected long and hard on that.

"…You dealt with all this too, didn't you?" he finally said after several moments. "How'd you handle it?"

"My friends reminded me that I'm not alone," Mary Jane explained. "They put up with an awful lot, and helped me realize the real reasons I should be wearing my costume and fighting supervillains. It's because of them that I've been able to come as far as I have. And you're not alone either, Peter-you were there for Gwen when she needed you the most, and she'll always be there for you, I'm sure. And so will I-you had my back when I was recovering from what Jack O'Lantern did to me, and I promise that I'll have your back, too."

She grasped his hand again, and they stared into each others' eyes for a very long time.

They smiled almost at the same time, before they realized what was going on.

"You know, it's funny…" Peter couldn't help but say.

"Could we have…" Mary Jane replied softly.

They both broke off and burst out laughing at the idea.

"Yeah, in another lifetime, maybe!" Peter scoffed.

* * *

Playing Dorothy in the opening-night performance of _The Wiz _later that evening, Mary Jane couldn't help but reflect on everything Randy Robertson had told her about the story. Images of Randy, Kitty, Liz, Harry, Kong McFarlane, Peter, Ben Reilly, Mark Raxton and her cousin Kristy all passed through her mind, reflecting on everything they'd done to help her and what she'd been able to do to help them in return.

The silver slippers had given Dorothy the power to return home, but she never could have used them without the support of her friends. And without meeting her, they in turn would never have seen their own dreams come true.

Taking on different roles and exploring different sides of her personality had been one of the things Mary Jane had most loved about the theater. Another aspect that fascinated her was how life so often imitated art, and vice versa.

His plans had been months in the making, but at long last they were finally ready. Roderick Kingsley had made all the arrangements with all his partners, and he was set to make a true killing when the work finally began.

The lovely Mary Jane Watson was the last piece required for his schemes to work, but Kingsley had already made plans to ensure she'd be involved the way he intended.

* * *

It was a disgusting, ugly storm, all screaming winds, pouring rain and hellish lightning that pounded down on New York and drove almost all the city's law-abiding citizens indoors. People only emerged to go to work or school, trying as best they could to shield themselves from the merciless flood that came down on them like some sort of hellish wrath from on high.

One particular group of people was an exception in that they didn't mind the gloomy, miserable weather at all. In fact, many of them enjoyed it, as it lent an appropriately macabre air to their activities. Many of New York's supervillains had chosen their profession as much for the mayhem and suffering they were able to inflict on their victims as the riches they were able to acquire, relishing the opportunity to indulge their sadism and cruelty. Along with committing their own individual kidnappings, murders and robberies, the supervillains had also found work as hired thugs and assassins for the city's various crime syndicates as a means of combining business with pleasure.

The collection of supervillains gathered at one particular burnt-out factory in one of the city's less reputable slum areas had greater ambitions in mind, however. With the recent gang war that had plagued New York, two of the city's major crime syndicates had been destroyed, leaving the field wide open for any new players that wanted to stake their claim. One particularly enterprising supervillain, a new arrival on the scene, had proposed to his fellow costumed criminals that they did not need to simply take orders from the crimelords-after all, if they had the power, what prevented them from forming a criminal organization of their own?

That supervillain was the Jack O' Lantern, who despite having only recently appeared on the scene had widely become noted for the escalating nature of his crimes, to say nothing of the dozens of murders he had committed, or the way in which he had almost single-handedly slaughtered what was left of the Maggia after it had been badly weakened in the gang war. Rallying his fellow supervillains with speeches about how they had the will to live the way they truly wanted and indulge their darkest, perverted fantasies, Jack had vocally expressed his hatred of the "hypocrites", in his words, who hid their own true natures behind weak, civilized masks. In Jack's mind, the civilized weaklings held back what he viewed as people of vision, who committed their crimes because such things were wrong, because they were evil and they knew it.

Jack O'Lantern considered his fellow supervillains to be the people of tomorrow, and stated that they were legion. Those villains who were interested in joining the Tomorrow Legion, as Jack had named his new syndicate, had gathered to hear what exactly the pumpkin-headed lunatic had planned.

"First things first, Jack," Electro frowned sardonically as he stood up, a skeptical look on his face. "What makes you think this criminal gang is going to work any better than any others? The Masters of Evil never stay together long, the Frightful Four's gotten their asses kicked, the Sinister Six only worked together because we all hated Spider-Man. You mind telling us why you expect a bunch of maniacs, psychopaths and sadists to cooperate on an ongoing basis, especially when there's every chance any one of us would sell somebody else out if it got them ahead? And what makes you think we'd stay loyal to you for any more time than we thought it was worth our while?"

Jack O'Lantern didn't appear fazed in the least by the question. Clad in dark green body armor, with gauntlets and boots that resembled grisly skeletal limbs, a chestguard that was covered in small skull-shaped plates, and topped off with a ghoulish flaming pumpkin head that had a demonic grin carved into the face, Jack was seated cross-legged on his hover disc, barely any higher than the other supervillains who filled the room.

_"Do you honestly think I wouldn't have anticipated such potential dangers to an organization such as this one?" _Jack O'Lantern pointed out, seeming to smirk and roll his eyes despite the twisted grin on his face never changing. _"You see, my dear Electro, membership in the Tomorrow Legion is entirely voluntary. Members are free to come and go as they please, and they're more than welcome to give suggestions, propose schemes, or head off on their own side projects." _

Some of the villains began mumbling among themselves at this, before Jack continued.

_"There's going to be a leader, of course, but the members of the Legion get to vote on who that leader will be. Votes are done openly, so there won't be any ballot-fixing. Members who don't like the leader that's been elected are free to leave at any time. If the leader doesn't listen to the suggestions of the membership, then they can and should feel free to abandon him," _Jack continued.

"So what do we get for being in the membership?" Flying Tiger wanted to know.

_"Greater profit than you could achieve alone," _Jack O'Lantern seemed to smile. _"An equal share in any criminal activity you profit in, and coordinated support if you need it. The price will be 25% of your take, but in exchange you may be assured of full support for your activities and the incorporation of your own personal goals into the leader's overall plans. You see, the leader's job will be to coordinate and support the activities of the members. As one member commits a crime in one place, another member commits another crime at the same time, dividing the attention of law enforcement and the city's superheroes." _

"Isn't that what we already do?" Equinox wondered.

_"…Equinox, wasn't it?" _Jack O'Lantern wondered. _"Aren't you supposed to still be in prison?" _

"That idiot Terry Sorenson is still in prison," the man who had taken the identity of Equinox suit replied coolly. "Suffice it to say that someone more worthy is underneath this suit. And now, my question?"

_"Of course," _Jack replied. _"Well, you're all familiar with the chaos caused by the recent gang wars, the attacks by Fever Pitch's cult members, Psyko's rampages across the city, and so forth? You see, that destruction and mayhem was uncoordinated, and yet it was a golden opportunity for all of us to do what we do best. As the Tomorrow Legion, our chaos will be coordinated, carefully planned for maximum destructive effect. We'll cause more suffering than we ever could by ourselves, and we'll gain more profit than we ever could ourselves!" _

_"A bank robbery here, a hostage-taking there, an act or two of arson, a murder and robbery spree…each by themselves is only a minor wound, but a dozen shallow cuts will add up and cause the victim to lose that much more blood! All the blood that will flow…all the money we'll gain…just think of the possibilities!" _Jack O'Lantern rhapsodized.

"...Intriguing," the Jester rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a sick grin spreading across his face. "I take it you have some plans for achieving this?"

_"I never thought you'd ask," _Jack O'Lantern laughed. _"If you'll be so kind as to accept my suggestions for a coordinated effort, we will show this city, and all the pathetic, sniveling wretches who live in it, the true meaning of fear!" _

Many of the supervillains in the room had been skeptical when they'd first come in, but now they were all attention.

* * *

It began seemingly at random, with the Porcupine attacking the famous Bloomingdale's shopping mall on Lexington Avenue and stealing a fortune in gold and platinum jewelry, even as he destroyed several of the pillars holding the building's upper floors and causing them to collapse, killing several people as they fell.

At the same time, Speedfreek tore through a Brooklyn housing project, killing eight people before immediately leaving and moving on to his next targets.

Even as the police began responding to the first two calls, the Jester hit the Plaza Hotel, emptying the hotel safe and robbing several of the prestigious, high-class guests who had come to stay there.

Black Mamba ripped into the hearts and minds of the innocent theatergoers on Broadway, leaving them screaming and begging for mercy as she played with them like puppets on strings and cleaned out both the box office and the theatergoers' wallets.

Equinox smashed through the bank vault doors with large pillars of ice, even as he turned his fires on the hapless security guards and police officers who had tried to stop him.

Mr. Fear caused mass panic and pandemonium in the New York subway tunnels.

Electro escaped with a fortune in unmarked bills from the Aces High casino after blowing open the main safe with his electrical bolts and using the wreckage to carry away his loot.

As the members of the Tommorow Legion committed their crimes, they understood why Jack O'Lantern had wanted to wait until today for them to begin their work. With the city nearly flooded by the rain, it was very difficult for the police to get around and reply to the emergencies, while the supervillains had typically taken much more straightforward and direct routes through the sewer tunnels or the subway. With the crimes spread out across the city, it would be that much harder for the police and the superheroes to respond in time, particularly when the attacks were coordinated to break out one after another, forcing the heroes to either stop on their way to one crisis and then respond to another, or ignore it and hope against hope that someone else would be able to deal with it.

Jack O'Lantern had predicted all this, and he prided himself on correctly anticipating how things would turn out. Of course, there was the most important part of all to his plan…

He had saved the most important job for himself, namely that of creating a hostage situation at one of the downtown office buildings rented by Stark Enterprises. Secure in the knowledge that Iron Man was in California dealing with Savage Steel, Jack O'Lantern fully expected that everything would work out as foreseen.

He had already rigged Mary Jane Watson's TV to show his special broadcast, and the devices he had installed would alert him when she turned them on.

And once it did, Spider-Woman would come running.

Jack O'Lantern loved it when a plan came together.

* * *

Getting home from work and returning to her apartment, Mary Jane folded up her umbrella as she changed out of her uniform, looking forward to an evening of relaxation. Tonight's performance of _The Wiz _had been cancelled by Mr. Ferguson due to the very bad weather, who had phoned the cast to tell them not to come in, and as much as she had enjoyed playing the role of Dorothy Mary Jane was grateful for the night off.

Turning on the TV filled her with horror as she saw that every channel showed the same thing-a laughing, hysterical Jack O'Lantern in a Stark Enterprises office surrounded by crying, terrified hostages. They were bound with lengths of wire, bound at the arms, wrists and throats, even as they struggled to breathe and every motion caused blood to flow from their wrists and ankles.

By itself, that sight filled Mary Jane with a boiling rage, but what made it even worse was how her Aunt Anna was one of the hostages, lines of blood already flowing down her neck as the wire cut into it.

_"It's five o'clock, Spider-Woman," _Jack seemed to smirk. _"Do you know where your hostages are?" _

To illustrate his point, he took a boomerang bat and slid it across the throat of the man tied up next to Anna, turning the thin lines of blood coming from his throat into a full crimson flood.

_"Either I get sixty million dollars, or I kill sixty hostages," _Jack O'Lantern snarled threateningly as his eyes seemed to narrow. _"I should also point out that all these people have received a dose of my neural gas, which robs them of all motor function and causes them to simply thrash helplessly whenever they try to move. I find that it helps the blood flow when they try to escape, or when they simply tremble in fear. It's a lot of fun to watch, isn't it?" _

_"Every ten minutes, another hostage dies. The clock's ticking, Spider-Woman!" _

Until now, Mary Jane Watson thought she had put all her old anger, frustrations and hatred behind her.

Now they had come back, and Mary Jane felt them more keenly than she ever had before.

The lightning flashed overhead as she sprang out her apartment window as Spider-Woman, and the thunder echoed in her ears as she web-swung across the city skyline.

Jack O'Lantern had crossed the line one too many times.

* * *

Jack O'Lantern's helmet contained several useful visual displays. One gave him a complete 360-degree visual perspective of everything around him. Another alerted him to where Mary Jane Watson was at all times, using the tracking device he had planted in her back during their battle at the Plaza Hotel. Yet another one alerted him that Mary Jane had watched her TV, and was clearly on her way to the Stark Enterprises Building.

Jack had specifically made sure that his little broadcast would only be sent to Mary Jane's television, and not hacked into the general broadcast feed, until Mary Jane had been watching. The last thing he wanted or needed was for the police or some meddling superhero trying to stop him, for all that the rest of the Tomorrow Legion was distracting most of the police and the rest of the superhero community anyway.

A wide grin spread across the face inside the helmet as the person dressed in the Jack O'Lantern costume realized that Spider-Woman was on her way. Everything was ready, and the pumpkin-headed freak burst out into hysterical giggling at the notion of confronting the teenage nemesis who had continually interfered in Jack's fun for so many months until now.

Jack noticed that Spider-Woman was making her way around the outside of the building, no doubt seeking a safe way that she could ambush him without his threatening the hostages. In response, Jack left the main lobby area and rose up to the third floor of the building, perfectly ready and willing to oblige his guest.

_"And there's my favorite lady!" _Jack O'Lantern cried out eagerly as Spider-Woman smashed through the main window on the third floor, seeming to emerge from the ugly thunderstorm outside as she screamed his name in rage. _"That's what's always impressed me about you-you're always so punctual, even when you're about to get your head torn off." _

In response, Spider-Woman unleashed a double sting blast at Jack, who merely dodged the sting blasts as well as the flying kick Spider-Woman launched at him as he veered off to the side. He began laughing as he blasted her with a laser bolt, which knocked Spider-Woman off balance and nearly caused her to fall off the railing of the third-floor balcony before she grabbed onto the side of the walkway with her spider-grip and began hauling herself back up. Springing out of the way of the razor-bats Jack O'Lantern threw at her, Spider-Woman sprang up and zapped Jack O'Lantern with a sting blast, knocking him off balance. Catching the ceiling with a webline, Spider-Woman swung in and caught Jack head-on with a brutal swing kick, sending him flying back to crash into the far wall.

The pumpkin-shaped flash bomb Jack O'Lantern threw temporarily blinded Spider-Woman, but she switched from using her eyes to her ears and sprayed her webbing towards the sounds of Jack's hover disc, catching him on target. As she regained her sight, she sprang off the upper walkway and sprang down towards the second floor, dragging the off-balance Jack O'Lantern with her. As she spun another webline with her free hand, she swung Jack O'Lantern around until he crashed headlong into the brutal, unforgiving pillar. Bouncing off, Jack O'Lantern spun around off balance and crashed onto the second floor, howling in pain as he fell off his hover disc.

Spider-Woman came charging down at him, but Jack O'Lantern recovered faster than she expected and he blasted her head-on with a pumpkin bomb, blowing her back and giving him a chance to recover. Striking her with a double electro blast, Jack sprang to his feet, charged in at Spider-Woman as she reeled from the blows and wrapped his hands around her throat, extending his talons as he prepared to rip her throat out.

Spider-Woman saved herself from instant death by grabbing and pulling at Jack O'Lantern's hands, but to her amazement and horror she found that the pumpkin-headed psychopath somehow had superhuman strength that matched her own. They struggled for several moments, hatred burning between them as they stared intently into each others' eyes.

The screams of the hostages eventually brought Spider-Woman back to her senses, their sobbing cries for help setting her blood boiling in anger. A surge of adrenaline filled her veins as she finally knocked Jack O'Lantern's arms away and rose to her feet. Completely overtaken by her rage, Spider-Woman pounded Jack O'Lantern mercilessly with a flurry of punches and kicks, punctuated by several repeated sting blasts.

Finally, she blasted Jack O'Lantern at point-blank range with a sting blast that left major cracks in his pumpkin helmet. Spider-Woman didn't let up at all, nailing Jack with a serious of vicious punches until his helmet finally shattered.

The red-hot anger within Spider-Woman suddenly turned into ice-cold horror when she saw the face underneath the shattered pumpkin mask.

"You…you…" she gasped, still trying to make sense of it all.

"Ironic, isn't it?" the man sneered as he rose to his feet, a murderous gleam in his eyes. "The mask you just shattered is what I really am on the inside. That's the point I've been making all this time-I wear that pumpkin to show the world just who I truly am!"

His thick dark hair framed a handsome, sculpted face that belied his age, and his expression blazed with an intense combination of poisonous loathing and dark amusement at Spider-Woman's horror.

The face Spider-Woman stared into was that of a man she knew, a man who had been in her home and was related to some of her most cherished friends.

The face of Steven Mark Levins.

(_**Next Issue:**_ As Spider-Woman fights to save Jack O'Lantern's hostages, she also struggles to understand what could have moved Steven Mark Levins to commit his depraved crimes. But can Spider-Woman survive against her most hated enemy, one who not only knows her powers and skills, but also her secret identity? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #30: Behind the Mask, Part Four: Devil In Plain Sight!)_


	33. Behind The Mask: Devil In Plain Sight

_**O villain, villain, smiling damned villain!**_

_**My tables-meet it is I set it down**_

_**That one may smile and smile, and be a villain; **_

_**At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark.**_

**-**_**Hamlet,**_** I. v. 111-114**

_**If rape and poison, dagger and burning,**_

_**Have still not embroidered their pleasant designs**_

_**On the banal canvas of our pitiable destinies,**_

_**It's because our souls, alas, are not bold enough!**_

**-Beaudelaire, **_**Les Fleurs Du Mal**_

Just a few seconds ago, Mary Jane Watson, alias the spectacular Spider-Woman, was fighting with fire in her eyes and rage in her heart. Spider-Woman's old enemy Jack O'Lantern had taken her Aunt Anna and dozens of other people hostage at the Stark Enterprises office building where they worked, and the arachnid heroine had come to their rescue. In fighting the pumpkin-headed psychopath, she had shattered the ghoulish flaming pumpkin mask Jack wore.

Now, as she stared at the face that had been hiding under Jack O'Lantern's pumpkin, all she could feel was shock and horror.

She stared back at the handsome, chiseled features of Steven Mark Levins, uncle to her close friends Kitty Pryde and Ben Reilly. Thick dark hair framed his face, and his dark eyes glowed alternately with perverted amusement at her distress and smoldering anger that reflected the poisonous hatred he felt for her. Spider-Woman had seen Steve Levins's face before, but now she felt as if she was seeing its true form for the first time.

"W…why…?" Spider-Woman managed to gasp, her mind still reeling from what she was seeing. "All the suffering…all the death…you…I…can't…"

"Isn't it obvious?" Levins hissed. "Because it fills me with joy, because it gives my life meaning, because I feel a sense of accomplishment, because I'm doing something worthwhile! Finally, I can let everything out, be the monster I've always wanted to be, live my deepest, darkest fantasies…"

"I've done this to make you suffer!" the man who called himself Jack O'Lantern shouted, his voice rising several octaves as he tossed another explosive shrapnel pumpkin bomb at Spider-Woman. "You, and everyone like you, who've been ruining my fun and holding me back!"

Reflexively, Spider-Woman leaped back and caught the grenade with a webline before hurling it off to the side where it exploded harmlessly. All the shock and horror she felt was gone. It was replaced by her rage, the anger she felt at the monster that had endangered her family, murdered dozens of innocents, and left a path of destruction across New York City.

Jack O'Lantern stared back at Spider-Woman with a look of pure, poisonous hate, his gaze fixed on the young woman who in his mind had come to represent everything he hated about the world.

He unleashed a flock of razor-edge boomerang bats from his hands, sending them hurtling at Spider-Woman. The arachnid heroine sprayed her webbing in a wide arc, entangling the bats and grounding them before blasting Jack O'Lantern head-on with a double blast from her sting bolts. Jack O'Lantern recoiled from the blast, grunting in pain, but then he fired back with his own wrist lasers, knocking Spider-Woman off her feet. As she leapt to her feet, Jack O'Lantern came flying in, his razor-sharp talons bared.

The storm continued to rage outside as they battled, the lightning flashing as the thunder roared more loudly than ever.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #30

BEHIND THE MASK, PART FOUR

"DEVIL IN PLAIN SIGHT"

* * *

_Perhaps you're wondering how all this began. _

_I was born October 31, 1964-fitting, wasn't it? Halloween, the night when people dress up as monsters and indulge their dark sides, letting their inner monsters out to play, just for a moment. That always appealed to me, and from my most tender years I was fascinated by it. _

_Growing up, I saw the hypocrisy of so many of the people around me, hiding their true feelings behind the masks and facades they wore to gain the approval of the people around them. My father made nice with his superiors and coworkers, when he would mock and insult them behind their backs in the privacy of his own home. My mother put up the pretense of loving my father, but then she went out behind his back to have an affair with the man she truly enjoyed sharing her bed with. _

_Spouses who make sacred wedding vows and then violate them by committing adultery, sports stars who make big speeches about wanting to be good role models and then get busted for drug possession and infidelity, businesspeople and politicians who make a show of being honest and are then caught looting their institutions, respectable family men being exposed as pedophiles or murderers…_

_…I saw them all. _

_I saw them all being caught without their masks, and then punished and condemned by society. They were held back by the sniveling, whining sheep who harbored the same twisted dark sides they did, but lacked the courage to live out their true natures. The sheep were hypocrites, holding back people who dared to indulge their perverted fantasies, all so they could keep up their own respectable images and have the people around them like them. _

_I thought of all this, and then I thought of my own dark fantasies, all the people I wanted to make suffer, all the crimes I wanted to commit, because I knew it was wrong. _

_I knew that the other people around me would try to stop me. _

_And that thought enraged me. _

* * *

Spider-Woman dodged off to the side as Jack O'Lantern charged in, swinging her foot out and catching him in the face with a vicious kick. Cursing in pain, Jack lost control of his hover disc and crashed into a nearby pillar, bouncing off it before regaining his balance. Spider-Woman was coming at him on a webline, aiming directly at him with a vicious swing kick, but Jack O'Lantern was faster, catching her square in the chest with another pumpkin bomb. The pumpkin exploded in a burst of flaming shrapnel, tearing long, bloody wounds in her skin as she crashed and landed painfully on the floor. Shaking her head in agony as she tried to get up, Spider-Woman was blasted back to the ground by Jack's wrist lasers.

Spider-Woman rolled on the floor to dodged the next series of blasts before she sprang back to her feet. Deflecting the blasts with her own stings, Spider-Woman quickly tagged Jack O'Lantern with a webline. Before Jack could cut himself free, Spider-Woman began swinging him around like an athlete preparing to throw a hammer, slamming Jack into one wall and then another. Dizzied from the blows, Jack couldn't cut himself free before Spider-Woman let him go and he flew crashing through the window she had already broken to get into the building.

The sudden burst of pain and the long, ugly cuts on his face and neck actually brought Jack back to his senses, and he reacted more quickly than Spider-Woman expected. Before she could react, Jack O'Lantern had retrieved a ghost grabber from his belt and caught her in the arm with it, pulling her out into the storm.

Now it was Spider-Woman's turn to smash through the window once again, the glass tearing her all over before she crashed headlong on the pavement below. Breaking free of Jack's ghost grabber, she and Jack O'Lantern both lay in the street for a few seconds, the rain mixing with the blood on their bodies, before they rose and attacked each other again.

* * *

_It would have been so easy for me to kill myself, given how angry I was at not being able to realize my fantasies. _

_The feeling of tearing a defenseless victim's throat out, the look of terror in someone's eyes when they saw me coming for them, the grief and sorrow parents would feel when they found their kidnapped children murdered, the begging and pleading for mercy, the destroying of someone else's livelihood, everything that would bring me joy and give my life meaning…_

_…and I was unable to do any of it. _

_As I grew up, I was forced to weave my own mask and behave the way those stupid fucking sheep demanded I do, holding myself back the way I was supposed to even as I nurtured a deep, boiling rage at my situation. During that time, I studied and prepared, pursuing my education as an engineer and a biochemist. I worked hard and gained my fortune, even as I sought to determine how and when I could finally begin to be who and what I truly was, so that I could finally unleash the monster within. _

_I could have been a murderer, a kidnapper or a terrorist, but somehow that wasn't quite enough. If I were ever seen, I could easily and quickly be identified, and then the full force of their laws would come after me, nipping my dreams in the bud. Besides that, I wanted to inspire true fear in my victims, letting them see me as the monster I truly was. _

_For a long time, I reflected on how to do this. _

_The rise of costumed supervillains, criminals and murderers who committed their crimes as much for the fun of causing misery and horror as for the profits they could enjoy, gave me my answer. _

* * *

They fought viciously at close quarters, Spider-Woman sending Jack O'Lantern flying with a vicious uppercut in response to Jack slashing her with the talons at the end of his skeletal gauntlets. Finally, in response Jack blew Spider-Woman away with a wrist blast before taking to the air with his hover disc. Continuing to fire his blasters as a means of keeping Spider-Woman dodging, Jack O'Lantern immediately switched to still more of his pumpkin bombs, lighting the darkness of the storm with brightness as they exploded.

Spider-Woman flipped out of the way of the last pumpkin bomb as she tried to counterattack, but the last pumpkin released a sickly green gas that seemed to cling to her, causing her to breathe it in before she could hold her breath. The gas sapped Spider-Woman's strength, causing her slump to her knees despite her best efforts. Although she tried to force herself to stand and respond to Jack's next attack as he came flying in, she couldn't stop him catching her in the throat with a ghost grabber and then taking to the air, dragging Spider-Woman behind him. Laughing hysterically, Jack swung Spider-Woman around like a flail, smashing her into the building again and again as she struggled to break free.

Try as she might, Spider-Woman couldn't seem to muster the strength to escape the ghost grabber. Her body exploded with pain the first time she slammed into the building, the second time she felt as if she'd broken every bone in her body, and the last time she felt ready to pass out from the impact.

* * *

_Phillip Watson's outburst at the Hammer Labs meeting I attended intrigued me from the start. Here I saw a well-respected businessman, an upstanding pillar of the community, revealing the hatred and bigotry he felt for the mutants among us. I was impressed by his willingness to let his mask drop, to show us the monster he hid within himself. _

_Of course, I realized I'd barely scratched the surface once I'd hacked Phillip's home computer. I learned all about his affairs with women young enough to be his daughters, his involvement in funding anti-mutant hate groups and terrorist organizations, his illegal dealings with Norman Osborn, his involvement with the crime syndicates, which gave me all the information I would eventually need when I first enslaved Phillip and used him to organize the gang war that weakened the New York mobs and led to the rise of the Tomorrow Legion._

_I used the time not only to plan, but also to develop my equipment. Not that the lack of resources was a problem-when I appeared to be putting in late nights at work I was in fact working on my hover disc, my boomerang bats, my holographic flaming pumpkin helmet, and so much more. Having simple tastes and a very high-paying job gave me all the resources I needed to build my weapons without having to rely on outside sources. _

_My training as an engineer was what enabled me to craft most of my masterpieces, ranging from my boomerang bats to the tracing and recording devices I planted on Spider-Woman, her TV set and in her father Phillip's computer and telephone, of course. However, what most people don't know is that I also minored in biochemistry, which is what gave me the ability to craft the special protein formula that gave me my superhuman strength, or the various poisons and explosives I outfitted my pumpkin bombs with, including the muscle paralysis with which I've paralyzed my victims and the mind control gas I used to make Phillip my puppet. _

_I chose the horror motifs in my costume and my weapons to honor my birthday-Halloween, the night when monsters roam and evil is celebrated. _

_My night. _

* * *

In between the roar of the storm, Spider-Woman heard Jack O'Lantern's sadistic, insane laughter. She saw images of her loved ones-her cousin Kristy, her mother Maddie, Aunt Anna, Grandpa Lieber, her friends Randy, Liz, Harry, Kitty, Ben, Mark and Kong, seeming to fade away as she struggled to free herself.

* * *

_Perhaps you're wondering just why I've come to hate Spider-Woman so. _

_As I have said before, Spider-Woman represents everything I hate about this world. She possesses incredible skills and powers all her own, powers which would have made her a formidable supervillain, and yet she wastes them defending those helpless cattle when I try to have some fun by inflicting a little misery and suffering on them. Again and again, she has interfered with my fun, and every time I think of it I am filled with a poisonous, hellish, all-consuming rage and hatred of her. _

_My costume reveals everything that I am, my true self, freeing me to unleash my sickest, darkest fantasies. When Spider-Woman puts on her costume, however, she saves lives, she defends the weak, she helps those in need. She simply reinforces that weakness, that refusal to embrace her dark side, that angers me about all the people I have seen in the world. _

_And indeed, when I first saw her on the news I saw the anger that she so often unleashed, her willingness not only to defeat her enemies but to beat on them, making them suffer. When I realized that she was Mary Jane Watson, it all made sense to me…but then she wasted her budding potential. Even when she first started out as Spider-Woman, she was still protecting people and saving lives-although I'd hoped she would give in to her fury, she lost it all to that same pathetic, sniveling compassion that made me despair for Kitty after she refused to join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. _

_Spider-Woman is everything that I'm not, and I'm everything that she's not. _

_That's why I hate her, and why I want to destroy not only her, but everything and everyone she holds dear. _

* * *

Her entire body throbbing with pain, it was all Spider-Woman could do to stay conscious. Inwardly, she felt sick with the knowledge that she had failed. Once Jack O'Lantern had finished with her, Aunt Anna and the rest of the hostages were doomed-and what did Jack have planned for Kitty and Ben? Jack had already killed her father-who was he going to go after next?

Harry?

Kristy?

Randy?

Her mother?

In that moment, Spider-Woman felt her anger rising again. Anger at all the lives Jack O'Lantern had ruined, all the people he'd made suffer, all the horror and chaos he'd sown. He had taken more than sixty people, including her Aunt Anna, hostage just to indulge his sick hatred of her.

Spider-Woman's feet seemed to almost move on their own, anchoring her to the wall as she spun a wrapping of webbing around the ghost grabber Jack was strangling her with. With her free hand, she tore herself free of the grabber, using her webbing to keep a grip on it as Jack suddenly tried to reel it in. Springing off the side of the building, Spider-Woman whipped the ghost grabber, and the screaming Jack O'Lantern still attached to it, down towards the ground with one hand while she used the other to spin a webline that anchored back to the side of the building.

With a sickening crunch, Jack O'Lantern was hammered into the brutal pavement as Spider-Woman released the ghost grabber and swung to safety with her webline. Jack O'Lantern had been too startled to let go of the grabber, thinking he had Spider-Woman dead to rights, and it took him several seconds to get up as Spider-Woman came down to street level.

Jack looked hideous even without his mask, his face and body covered in bleeding cuts, abrasions, burns and bruises. His armor was cracked and broken in several places, and his breathing came ragged and shallow. Spider-Woman was hardly any better off, just as injured and bloodied as her nemesis, struggling for breath as she stared at him with undisguised contempt.

"You had everything," Spider-Woman said calmly, clenching and unclenching her fists. "The talent to go as far as you wanted. The knowledge to make incredible discoveries. Family and friends that loved you and were ready to support you in anything you did. And you throw it all away? Why?"

"For the love of God, _**why?**_" she demanded.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Jack O'Lantern sneered, before he spat out some blood. "This is who I am. I'm evil. I do all this because it's wrong. I do it because I'm not supposed to. I can let out all my deepest, darkest fantasies, do everything I ever wanted. I do it all because I'm a sick, depraved monster."

"And what about you?" he demanded. "Do you realize what you could have gained with your power? You could have taken anything you wanted, done anything you wanted, destroyed anyone who stood in your way. And all you do is protect those sad, pathetic weaklings, people who you could crush without even thinking about it. You make me sick! _**Sick!**_" Jack roared.

"Are we going to finish this, or are you just going to try to talk me to death?" Spider-Woman demanded.

"Oh, we're going to finish this, you bi-" Jack O'Lantern scowled as he raised his wrist blasters, but he was rudely interrupted as Spider-Woman sprang forward.

Spider-Woman began pounding Jack O'Lantern from every conceivable angle, kicking him in the stomach one moment and elbowing him in the face the next. With almost mesmerizing speed, she flipped, twirled and spun with kicks, fists, sting blasts, elbows and knees that left Jack O'Lantern a half-conscious, bloodied heap on the ground. Reaching down, Spider-Woman picked the battered Jack O'Lantern up by the neck, her face staring into his.

"That's what you really think, isn't it?" Spider-Woman wondered. "You really think everyone can be just as evil and twisted as you? Here's something you should remember-I'm not alone in this world. You are. You had everything you could have ever needed, and you wasted it all."

"Oh, I'm not alone," Jack O'Lantern wheezed, smiling weakly as the lights of the police cars finally appeared down the street. "I have a special little secret, something only you and I know..._Mary Jane._"

Spider-Woman paled at this.

"And I'm sure I won't be alone in prison, either," Jack continued, his smile growing wider. "For instance, what would Firebrand say if he knew who you were? Maybe Will O' the Wisp would be interested? How about the Brothers Grimm or Supercharger? Think any of them would like to know?" he whispered, before settling into a perverted giggling as the police pulled up.

Another burst of rage welled up inside Spider-Woman, as she felt the urge to start pounding on Jack O'Lantern again, but she knew it wouldn't solve anything. Scowling with contempt, she threw Steven Mark Levins to two of the police officers and led the others back into the Stark Enterprises building where the hostages were being kept.

All this time, the thunder and lightning of the storm had been raging, but now the chaos had subsided, replaced with a cool, soothing rain.

* * *

Completely exhausted, Mary Jane had swung back to her apartment and changed out of her costume, before showering to clean off the muck and dried blood she was covered in. Applying ointment and first aid to her injuries, Mary Jane wanted nothing more to lay down and sleep for a week, but she knew her evening was far from over.

First she met her mother and Kristy to look after Aunt Anna, who had been taken to the hospital following her ordeal at Jack O'Lantern's hands. Then she stopped in to see Kitty, who had fallen victim to the chaos Mr. Fear had caused in the New York subway tunnel on her way back from a late-afternoon assignment and was in the hospital too. Finally, she gratefully accepted the offer from Kristy and her mother to come back and stay the night at their place. Her own wounds had been easy enough to explain, saying that she had gotten caught in the attack

It was only much later, after Kristy and her mother had gone to bed and the rain had stopped altogether, that Mary Jane found herself sitting on the balcony of her Aunt Anna's townhouse, looking out over a city which had, temporarily at least, regained some of its sanity after the horrors Jack O'Lantern had subjected it to.

Despite her fatigue, Mary Jane had found that she just couldn't sleep. Her mind kept returning to Steven Mark Levins, wondering why she and he had both put on their costumes and done what they did. Levins embraced his inner monster, using his Jack O'Lantern identity to act out his darkest, most depraved fantasies…so why did she continue to act as Spider-Woman?

Why was she still putting on her costume, constantly risking her life despite the problems it caused her personal life?

_Levins claimed that I represent everything he hates, _Mary Jane realized, still not entirely sure what he meant. _I could have stopped being Spider-Woman, _she thought, _but every time I see a crisis, I just can't help myself…_

It used to be that she'd begun putting on a costume purely to spite her father, knowing his hatred of both mutants and superheroes. She'd reacted out of anger, viciously beating the supervillains she fought and very nearly hurting many innocent people with her recklessness.

Now, though…

She'd saved literally dozens of lives tonight, not to mention all the other people she'd been able to help as a superheroine. Whether it had been the people kidnapped by Moonstone, the Brothers Grimm or Tarot, the other people Firebrand or Supercharger had tried to murder, or her family when they'd been threatened by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants or the Constrictor, what would have happened to them if she hadn't been there to protect them?

The results had already been all too clear tonight. While the city's other superheroes and the police had thwarted many of the villains, the Tomorrow Legion had taken almost two dozen lives, victims who died because no one was there to defend them. And then there were all the people whose livelihoods had been damaged, quite possibly even ruined, by the trauma they'd suffered or the money they'd lost when a bank was robbed or a shop was destroyed.

Mary Jane recalled how angry and helpless she used to feel when she saw her father abusing her mother, how she wished she could have done something.

Now that she had her powers, she could.

And did.

_That's the other problem, though, _Mary Jane thought with a sigh. _Namely that I've now got a bunch of very powerful people who hate me and want to kill me because I interfered with their plans. And what's worse, at least one of them knows who I really am, _she realized, shivering at the thought. _What if…what if he…_

But did it even matter? There was nothing Mary Jane could do to stop Steven Mark Levins from revealing her secret identity, or keeping it for himself. If he let the world know, she'd find out soon enough, and she'd have to deal with the consequences…but if he didn't, then she'd be spending all her time obsessing and looking over her shoulder for nothing.

Levins would win a small victory if he made her think like that.

Taking a deep breath, Mary Jane stood up and went back inside. No matter what happened, she knew she would be ready for it. Until then, she had other, more important things to worry about-her friends and family.

Her mind made up, Mary Jane settled down to sleep, feeling more at peace than she had in a very long time.

(_**Next Issue:**_ September sees Mary Jane returning for her sophomore year at Empire State University, but she gets more than she bargained for when old problems with money and grades come back to haunt her. Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde, Ben Reilly and their families struggle to come to terms with the revelation that Steven Mark Levins is the Jack O'Lantern, even as Roderick Kingsley reveals his new plans for Mary Jane. In between dealing with the increasing complications in her civilian life, Spider-Woman is also forced to confront a deadly new enemy in the manic thrill-seeker known as Joystick! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #31:Thrill Ride!)_


	34. Thrill Ride

Many of the students attending the first day of classes at Empire State University's Fall 2007 semester were feeling decidedly mixed emotions. On the one hand, summer had ended, which meant more working and less partying for most of them. On the other hand, many of them were genuinely looking forward to returning to class, eager to resume their studies. Some students greeted old friends from previous years, others wandered around looking for classrooms, and still others were headed for the Administration building to try and work out any number of details with their schedules or their tuitions.

After all the chaos New York City had endured the past summer, particularly the gang war that had led to the Green Goblin's downfall and the destruction of the Maggia, the start of the semester provided an oddly comforting sense of routine, the feeling that everything was finally back to normal.

Mary Jane Watson felt that way as much as anyone. She'd finally confronted and defeated the depraved Jack O'Lantern, rescuing her Aunt Anna and the dozens of other people Jack O'Lantern had taken hostage to lure her into a fight. At the same time, Mary Jane had been thrilled to learn that her mother had returned to work in a full-time job at Richmond Industries. Almost all of the costumed supervillains she'd fought as Spider-Woman were now in prison, and although that new supervillain cartel, the Tomorrow Legion, was still active Mary Jane had every intention of continuing to do her part as Spider-Woman to fight it.

Walking across campus with her friends Harry Osborn and Liz Allan on their way to their morning classes, Mary Jane smiled serenely as she brushed her hair back from her face. She was ready to put all the chaos of the past year behind her, and try for a fresh start in a new school year.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #31

"THRILL RIDE"

* * *

Harry was the first one to leave when they reached the Media Studies building. Waving goodbye to the girls, Harry flashed a wide smile as he headed for his first class, seeming happier than he'd been in a long time.

"Harry's pretty cheerful this morning," Mary Jane grinned to Liz as they continued on their way. "Was he really that eager for the semester to start?"

"Believe it or not, he was," Liz nodded. "He couldn't wait to get started on his Film classes. That's what he's switched his major to now."

"Wasn't he in Business before now? Or Finance?" Mary Jane raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and he hated every minute of it," Liz replied. "He only took those classes because that's what his father demanded. Norman was the one paying for Harry's tuition. Now that Harry's paying his own way, he's a lot happier."

"He really deserves it," Mary Jane smiled. "He always used to seem like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders."

"So did you," Liz reminded Mary Jane. "You seem a lot better these days too, though."

"That's because I feel a lot better these days," Mary Jane did her best to suppress a giggle. "Not to mention it's really nice to just have a fresh start, you know?"

"Too true," Liz suppressed a smile of her own. "Say, wasn't Kitty going to be coming with us?"

"Her first class isn't for another hour," Mary Jane shook her head. "She wants to start getting some more sleep at night with classes starting and everything."

"Well, there you go," Liz chuckled. "Anyway, this is my stop," she continued, turning in the direction of one of the academic buildings as Mary Jane headed for the other. "I've got English this morning-how about you?"

"I got another one of Dr. Curt Connors' Biology classes," Mary Jane replied. "I was really lucky, too-you'd be surprised at how fast his courses fill up."

"No, I wouldn't," Liz laughed. "Take care, MJ!" she waved, before turning and continuing on her way.

* * *

Mary Jane knew she was some twenty minutes early for class, but she didn't really mind waiting. Checking her makeup one more time in her hand mirror, she nodded in satisfaction. She had kept her attire simple for the first day, putting her hair in a long ponytail and wearing a baseball cap, a white tank top, a pair of jean capris and her favorite high-heeled sandals. The cap-and-ponytail combination wasn't something she normally would have gone with, but it seemed increasingly popular these days.

And, although she would never have said so out loud, Mary Jane took a certain pride in knowing that, no matter what style she used, she'd look damn good with it and could just as easily set the trends herself.

Waiting in the hall, Mary Jane looked up in surprise at the greeting that broke in on her thoughts. Coming towards her was a handsome brown-haired man in his early forties dressed in a loose-fitting cardigan sweater over a formal dress shirt and matching pants, his feet clad in penny loafers.

In one hand he held the large leather briefcase favored by so many of Empire State University's professors, while in the other he held the cane that he leaned on to support his weak left leg. Dr. Curt Connors hadn't changed at all since Mary Jane had last seen him, still possessing that same dry wit and affable manner that endeared him to his students. He was among the most popular professors at Empire State both for his friendly, easygoing manner and his engaging and informative lectures. Dr. Connors' classes were highly sought after, since he could make the material understandable for even the least scientifically-minded students who only took his classes to satisfy the science requirements of their majors.

"It's good to see you again, Doctor," Mary Jane smiled at Dr. Connors as she moved to open the door to the lecture hall for him.

"Thank you, Mary Jane," Dr. Connors returned her smile. "It's good to be back. I take it I didn't scare you off the first time?" he joked, referring to the introductory-level course Mary Jane had taken with him in her freshman year.

"You haven't seen scary until you've dealt with some of the personalities in the world of modeling," Mary Jane chuckled. "Now those people are scary."

"I do have to warn you, though, this material is considerably more difficult than it was in the introductory course," Dr. Connors frowned. "I noticed you had quite a bit of trouble with that class."

Mary Jane shifted uncomfortably at that, unable to look Dr. Connors in the eye. Her grades in her freshman year hadn't been nearly as good as she'd hoped. In between fighting crime as Spider-Woman and the other issues she'd had in her personal life, she'd had less time for studying than she would have liked.

"I…had some problems," was all she could say.

"Then you'll need to be careful," Dr. Connors warned her. "This is a hard class, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to be a lot tougher on my students than I am in my freshman courses. You can't afford to fall behind if you take a sophomore class with me."

Mary Jane couldn't stop herself from frowning in turn, although she managed to avoid sighing in frustration. She knew Dr. Connors was just trying to help her, and she knew he was right, but she wished that she could let him know just why she'd fallen so far behind the rest of the class in the first place.

"I know, Doctor," Mary Jane nodded. "I think I've got things sorted out better this year."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mary Jane," Dr. Connors smiled, his demeanor brightening in an instant. "If you ever need any additional help, just be sure to let me know. And trust me, you're not the only student who'll have trouble with this class."

Mary Jane smiled in appreciation at that. She thought she had everything better organized this year, particularly with her mother doing so well now…

…but inwardly her stomach was already turning in knots at the thought of how she'd balance her schoolwork with all the other demands on her time, something she hadn't realized until Dr. Connors reminded her of it.

* * *

"So why this girl in particular?" the Kingsley Cosmetics talent agent asked his boss as he pondered the photos sitting on his desk.

"Just look at her," Roderick Kingsley grinned at him. "Aside from the obvious, she has some of the best camera presence I've ever seen. She can be warm and friendly, coy and teasing, cold and austere, you name it. She'll be able to sell our new fragrance all by herself!"

"Well, she _is _pretty damn hot," the agent grinned. "Her name was Mary Jane, right?"

"Yeah," Kingsley nodded. "Her contact information is in the file folder. Make it happen."

* * *

It was just after lunch that Mary Jane had gotten the call on her cell phone, asking her to come to the university registrar's office. She was completely at a loss as to why they would want to speak to her, and despite thinking it over for the fifteen minutes she waited in line she still hadn't figured it out by the time it was her turn to speak to an administrator.

"What's the problem, exactly?" Mary Jane asked curiously.

"The problem is with your tuition payments, I'm afraid," the administrator frowned, pushing her thick glasses up on her nose. "It seems your payment system didn't take this year's tuition hike into account."

"…What? That's impossible!" Mary Jane replied in astonishment, flabbergasted that she could have gotten it wrong. "I double-checked the paperwork before I submitted it to the student loan office!"

"See for yourself," the administrator shrugged, printing out a copy of the documents and handing them over to Mary Jane. Much to Mary Jane's dismay, she found that the administrator was right, and that the money she'd be getting for student loans was calculated based on the 2006 academic year, and not the 2007 one.

"…How could this happen?" Mary Jane groaned, rubbing her temples.

"It could be a problem at the loan office," the administrator suggested. "They might have made a mistake."

"So it won't be a problem, then?" Mary Jane asked, brightening immediately. "I mean, it was the loan guys who messed up, not me, right?"

"Even so, it's your responsibility to make sure all your fees are paid in full," the administrator frowned. "These fees will still be considered as outstanding on your record."

"But it wasn't my fault!" Mary Jane protested. "I did everything I was supposed to do!"

"Even so, there's nothing else I can do to help you," the administrator shook her head. "If you can't work things out with the loan office, or come up with the money in some other way, you won't be able to continue your studies, I'm afraid."

Mary Jane opened her mouth to protest, but then realized that it wouldn't solve anything. Doing her best to keep calm, she briefly thanked the administrator and left the registrar's office, fuming in annoyance.

Her mood was not helped by calling the loan office. In between trying to negotiate a ridiculously complicated touch-tone menu, being kept on hold for upwards of ten minutes, and then repeatedly bounced around between three or four people, none of whom could help with her problems, Mary Jane had finally gotten so fed up that she just decided to visit the bank in person. She'd have to hurry once her last class was done so she'd be able to go to the back and then return home to get ready for work, but if everything went right she'd make just in time.

* * *

Janice Olivia Yanizeski checked herself over in the mirror, admiring the way the metal parts of her costume emphasized her curves. She'd specifically asked the Tinkerer to ensure that her figure wasn't obscured, and to her delight she found that the Tinkerer had more than lived up to his reputation of giving his customers exactly what they wanted. Along with the skintight black bodysuit and a matching mask that left her bright green eyes, long blonde hair and perfect white smile visible for all to see, Yanzieski also wore a set of golden gauntlets, boots and torso armor that were blended with the bodysuit into a single garment. The metal components were perfectly crafted and fitted onto the bodysuit, such that the suit's wearer lost nothing either in mobility or in sex appeal as she moved.

J. Olivia (as she preferred to be called, owing to her hatred of her first name of Janice) had been looking forward to this for weeks. She'd needed a lot of practice to get used to the special energy-manipulating gauntlets and the costume the Tinkerer had made for her, and probably would have gone crazy with boredom if she hadn't reminded herself of what she'd be able to do once she'd fully mastered her equipment.

Until now, she'd realized, the thrill had been gone from her life. Her sexy figure and gorgeous face had made men and women of both sexual orientations want her in the worst way, and the flings she'd had had been fun for a while. But doing it with men was so depressingly normal, and girl-on-girl action was hardly even subversive anymore, particularly when the media used it to attract straight male audiences. The rave and free party scene had also lost its appeal, particularly once she'd gotten too used to the ecstasy and ketamine highs. Even absinthe had proven to be absurdly overrated.

The solution had been so obvious, J. Olivia couldn't understand why she hadn't come up with it before. From what she'd heard, many costumed supervillains committed their crimes as much for the thrills and the pleasure as for the wealth they could acquire. Getting in contact with the Tinkerer hadn't been too hard, as the drug dealers she'd met on the rave scene turned out to have plenty of connections. The hardest part had been coming up with exactly what kind of powers she'd wanted, but fortunately the Tinkerer had been a huge help in explaining exactly what kind of options she could choose from.

All that was left was for her to choose a codename.

The energy batons she was able to generate with the devices on the end of her wrists could be slammed together to create a deadly blast of energy, or take control of any electrical device they came into contact with. She'd chosen them as her weapons in part because they meshed well with the martial arts style she used to study, and she also relished the sheer destructive power they gave her.

The batons, sticks, call them what you like, filled her with joy.

Joystick it was, then.

* * *

Already agitated from her conversations with Dr. Connors and the university administrator who'd told her about the error on her student loan applications, Mary Jane grew even more frustrated on her way to the bank. The bus she boarded had gotten stuck in traffic, finally arriving at Mary Jane's stop a good ten minutes behind schedule. Glancing at her watch with rising worry as she made her way towards the bank, Mary Jane went in through the front door…

…and felt her heart sink at the long lineup of customers who were already there.

Fifteen minutes of waiting in line turned into twenty, as many of the customers ahead of Mary Jane were clutching large handfuls of paper or thick briefcases. By now, Mary Jane wondered how she could possibly get to work on time, particularly since she'd probably have to resort to webswinging if she intended to return home to get her uniform. Maybe she should have gone home and gotten her uniform first, but she would have gone out of her way…

Finally, though, there was only one more person in line ahead of her, a middle-aged woman who was holding only a single check. Another customer looked like he was just about done with his teller, too.

Like everyone else, Mary Jane was so wrapped up in thinking about what she wanted to discuss with the tellers that she was caught completely off guard by the explosion that blew the front doors off the bank. Everyone was knocked off their feet by the shockwave, but the reddish bolt of energy that had blasted through the doors also blasted through many of the customers and employees, leaving them bloodied and unconscious on the floor.

Amid the screaming and shouting that erupted in the bank, Mary Jane struggled to her feet and looked towards the front doors in alarm. Standing there was a beautiful blonde woman with bright green eyes, not much older than Mary Jane herself, dressed in a skintight black bodysuit and mask with gold-colored metallic gauntlets, boots and a matching chest guard. In her hands, she held a pair of batons made of glowing dark red energy, and the manic look in her eyes matched the crazed tone of her voice when she spoke.

"Oh _hell _yeah!" she grinned widely. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"Who the hell are you?" demanded one man who'd managed to get to his feet.

"Duh, isn't it obvious?" the young woman smirked. "I'm here to rob the fucking bank! As for who I am, the handle's Joystick. Wanna see why?"

Cackling under her breath, Joystick slammed the energy batons in her hands together, releasing another shockwave of energy that instantly flattened one of the security guards who was drawing a weapon on her. Whirling around, Joystick repeated the motion again and a third time, taking out the other two guards and several other bystanders as she began laughing out loud.

Those people who could still stand began to flee, running for the front door and emergency exits. Joystick ignored them, instead striding confidently up towards the tellers, who were too frozen with fear to move.

Mary Jane didn't waste the opportunity, joining the rest of the crowd who were trying to flee.

* * *

"What, are you scared?" Joystick smirked as she came up to the tellers. "Come on, I won't bite."

"You…won't…" one female teller tried to stammer.

"Please," Joystick snorted contemptuously. "Don't you people know everything's online? I don't even need to carry the damn money out," she continued. As if on command, a series of metal wires and cords emerged from the devices on her wrists and plugged themselves into the tellers' computers. Random numbers and images flashed across the computers' screens, before they shut off and the wires retracted into Joystick's wrist devices.

"Electronic transfers," Joystick grinned. "No fuss, no muss!" she laughed. Turning around to leave, Joystick stopped short as she saw another young woman charge into the bank, a woman with the long black hair and red and gold costume of the spectacular Spider-Woman.

"Well, hello!" Joystick leered, generating her energy batons once again. "I suppose you're going to try to stop me? Too bad, so sad, I've already cleaned out the bank's accounts!"

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to try to stop you," Spider-Woman replied evenly, taking care not to make a move that could set Joystick off. "You're going to pay for hurting these people."

"You mean like when I tried to crush them?" Joystick laughed, as her eyes took on a chilling light. Faster than Spider-Woman expected, Joystick had struck her batons together again and fired a pair of energy blasts at two of the main pillars holding the ceiling up. Laughing maniacally, Joystick then fired another blast at the ceiling, riddling it with cracks. As the ceiling started to crumble, Joystick rose into the air, seemingly pulled by her batons. Flying straight up, she crashed through the weakened ceiling, still laughing all the while as the damaged ceiling and pillars finally broke. A dreadful rumbling filled the air as the upper floor of the building collapsed in a hail of debris, threatening to crush the people who still lay within the bank.

Her heart pounding like a jackhammer, Spider-Woman somehow managed to spin a net of webbing against the intact walls of the bank that caught the debris before it rained down on the wounded people. Up above, Spider-Woman could still see a cackling Joystick through the hole in the roof.

"Gee, that was fun!" Joystick leered once again, her batons glowing brightly. "Gonna try and stop me? 'Cause I'm gonna keep doing this if you don't!"

Whooping with excitement, Joystick took off, as Spider-Woman emerged from the bank and took to the air, web-swinging after her.

Joystick fired several blasts of energy at Spider-Woman, but the arachnid heroine managed to deflect them with her sting blasts. She occasionally tried shooting back, but she had to pick her shots carefully to avoid endangering any innocent bystanders. Not that it mattered, as Joystick's speed and agility seemed to match her own and she easily dodged Spider-Woman's blasts.

Unfortunately, while Joystick could move as freely as she wanted to in the air, propelled by her equipment, Spider-Woman was more limited because of her need to swing from building to building. Hence it was that Joystick caught her full-on with an energy blast that sent her flying through a window and crashing into an upper-level office. Spider-Woman lay there unconscious for several seconds before Joystick came flying in after her, blasting her again as she tried to get up. People screamed and fled as Spider-Woman went flying again, this time crashing into a series of filing cabinets and falling over them before rolling around on the ground. Despite her dizziness, she recovered more quickly this time and rolled around Joystick's next blast, which tore a large chunk out of the floor. Springing to her feet, she deflected yet another of Joystick's blasts with a sting bolt from one of her hands, and used the other hand to zap Joystick with a sting blast of her own.

As Joystick reeled, Spider-Woman entangled her with webbing and charged in, intending to subdue her and carry her back for the police. Unfortunately, to Spider-Woman's horror Joystick was able to use her energy batons to stretch and snap her webbing, tearing free as Spider-Woman bore down on her. Dodging Spider-Woman's first punch, Joystick slammed her across the back with one of her batons, before slamming her across the chest with the other baton as she stumbled. Reeling in pain, Spider-Woman just barely managed to dodge the double baton swing that Joystick tried to bring down on her head.

Still lying on the ground, Spider-Woman shot her webbing straight up at Joystick's wrists as she brought her weapons up for another strike. Joystick suddenly stopped short, pulling at the webbing as Spider-Woman refused to let go. Her concentration broken, Joystick momentarily let her batons disappear. Seizing the opportunity, Spider-Woman leapt to her feet and pulled hard on the webbing, dragging Joystick towards her. Getting a second wind, Spider-Woman began beating on Joystick, intending to subdue her.

Joystick proved to be stronger than Spider-Woman expected, resisting her pulled punches, but in response Spider-Woman simply started pounding Joystick with her full strength. Although Joystick tried to generate her batons again, Spider-Woman was faster and smashed the devices on her wrists, ruining Joystick's weapons and leaving her helpless.

One last punch in the face was all it took for Joystick to collapse. Wearily, Spider-Woman wrapped her fallen foe in webbing, before leaving the damaged office to take Joystick back to the bank.

* * *

The police and the emergency crews were already treating the injured back at the bank when Spider-Woman arrived, carrying the half-conscious Joystick with her. Other people were trying to clean up the wreckage, or were arguing heatedly with the bank tellers.

"…How many people were hurt here?" Spider-Woman asked one of the police officers as she peeled her webbing off Joystick.

"At least sixteen," the officer muttered in disgust. "Seven of them are dead."

Spider-Woman felt a bitter disgust rise up within her. She looked down contemptuously at Joystick, now handcuffed with the special power-dampening restraints and being placed in the back of a squad car, utterly baffled by the fact that Joystick had apparently done all this simply for the thrill of it.

Disgust was replaced with horror as Spider-Woman realized that she hadn't settled things with the bank yet. Turning around, she ran frantically to where she'd hidden her street clothes, feeling sick as she realized just how late the time probably was.

* * *

"…You mean, you can't help me?" Mary Jane pleaded, becoming increasingly frantic as she realized what was going on.

"No, I can't," the teller sighed sadly. "All our accounts are empty. With all the damage that girl did to our system, it's going to be at least a few weeks before we get all the details sorted out. I'm really very sorry."

"…It's okay," Mary Jane sighed. "I mean, I really hate to bother you at a time like this, but…I…"

"It's okay, sweetie," the teller replied. "Just look at everyone else," she gestured, pointing to the other customers who were either arguing with the rest of the tellers, shouting angrily into their cell phones, or frantically going through their paperwork.

Mary Jane suddenly felt a terrible headache, and not just from the beating she'd taken at the hands of Joystick.

Turning to leave after she'd been looked at by one of the paramedics, she headed for home to get her waitress uniform, knowing that Mr. Spencer was going to have a fit when she finally arrived.

* * *

"Mary Jane, where in God's name have you been?" demanded Mr. Spencer as she finally staggered in. "The shift started an hour and a half ago!"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Spencer," Mary Jane sighed as she picked up a serving tray. "I was at the bank when it got robbed by a supervillain," she said ruefully, turning to leave.

"You know, it wouldn't be that much of a problem if this was only the first time you were late," Mr. Spencer replied, folding his arms in annoyance. "But this is the seventh time you've showed up late since you started working here! The other girls keep having to cover for you! That's not fair to the rest of them!"

"Please, I'm sorry, I-" Mary Jane tried to explain, but Mr. Spencer cut her off again.

"No excuses!" he said angrily, his voice rising. "If you can't show up for work on time, I'll get someone who can! Is that clear?"

An increasingly aggravated Mary Jane wanted to scream at him, pointing out that the reason she kept coming in late was because she kept having to save some innocent person from being robbed, raped or killed by the latest psychopath to put on a warped Halloween outfit.

All she could do, though, was stew in her own frustration.

* * *

_What a day, _Mary Jane thought to herself as she entered her apartment building, holding her head in her hand . _It couldn't possibly get any worse…could it?_

"Mary Jane?" she heard a voice calling her name. Turning around, Mary Jane saw that the caller was her landlady Edna Muggins, who co-owned the building with her husband.

"Yes, Mrs. Muggins?" she asked wearily.

"I thought I should let you know that I'm going to have to hike your rent," Mrs. Muggins replied. "I'm really sorry, but our insurance rates are going through the roof and this is the only way we can make ends meet."

In addition to a headache, Mary Jane now felt like she was about to get an ulcer when Mrs. Muggins told her how much the rent increase was going to be.

"It's okay, I understand…" Mary Jane sighed, wondering how on Earth she and Kitty were going to be able to make the rent.

Stomping upstairs and slamming the door to her apartment in frustration, Mary Jane wanted to scream out loud, to punch something, to tear her hair out, anything to release her frustrations. Everything seemed to be going wrong all at once, and every time she dealt with one problem it seemed like two more-

Mary Jane's train of thought was interrupted by the sobbing she heard as she entered into the living room. Sitting on the couch was Mary Jane's roommate Kitty Pryde, crying bitterly as she held her head in her hands.

"…Kitty?" Mary Jane asked in horror, forgetting everything else. "Kitty, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting down next to her mutant friend and hugging her tightly.

"Who…oh, MJ," she mumbled, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I…you don't know…they…my uncle…"

"Your uncle?" Mary Jane asked, feeling sick to her stomach as she realized what Kitty was saying. "What about him?"

"It turns out he was actually that masked psychopath Jack O'Lantern," Kitty muttered. "After that Spider-Woman person beat him, he was unmasked and the media got a hold of his real name. Then they started tracking down his relatives."

"The media?" Mary Jane asked, disgust coming into her voice.

"Not just them," Kitty said bitterly. "The families of Jack's victims. Aunt Karen's house ended up splattered with rotten produce and dog crap. They had to call the police at my mom's work. And just look at the _Daily Globe,_" she spat, pointing to the table where a newspaper sat.

If Mary Jane had felt sick before, she wanted to retch after reading the news article. _**LIKE UNCLE, LIKE NIECE?**_ran the byline, under which were pictures of Steven Mark Levins and Kitty Pryde side by side. Glancing through the article, Mary Jane saw that it public identified Kitty as a mutant and speculated on whether Levins' powers and murderous tendencies were due to his being a mutant himself.

"I found that in our mailbox," Kitty explained once Mary Jane had put down the article. "Along with a note,"

"…A note?" Mary Jane asked in confusion. "Where is it?"

"The police took it for evidence," Kitty explained. "It was all in cut and pasted letters."

"…What did it say?" Mary Jane asked slowly.

"**Payback's a bitch, freak. We're watching you!**" Kitty sobbed. "MJ…what…what if…"

Mary Jane was eerily calm as she held Kitty tightly, patting her reassuringly. Inwardly, though, she was boiling with anger, wanting nothing more than five minutes alone with either the _Globe _reporters who'd penned the article on Kitty or whoever had put the note in their mailbox.

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Kitty," Mary Jane reassured her gently, raising Kitty's face to look into her eyes. "None of this is your fault, your mother's fault, or your aunt's fault. You're not alone in this-I'll always have your back. Always," she repeated.

"MJ…" Kitty breathed, a faint smile on her lips. "Thank you…"

Mary Jane hugged Kitty once again, more tightly this time.

(_**Next Issue:**_ As Mary Jane tries to balance all the problems she faces, she's offered a potential solution when Roderick Kingsley offers her some new high-profile, high-pay modelling work. Meanwhile, Kitty and Ben Reilly continue to deal with the fallout of being related to the psychopathic Jack O'Lantern, even as noted criminal psychiatrist Dr. Karla Sofen publishes a number of intriguing propositions on supervillain psychology. All this and more in _Spider-Woman #32: An Offer You Can't Refuse!)_


	35. An Offer You Can't Refuse

Detective Jason Phillip Macendale of the New York City Police Department's Superhuman Activities Unit rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he looked over the report the police lab technicians had given him. The person who had written that note wasn't very smart-the fingerprint evidence alone was going to be enough for a search warrant, and somehow Detective Macendale doubted that the idiot would have thought to get rid of all the cut-up magazines.

What interested Macendale about this case wasn't so much the crime itself but the circumstances surrounding it. The notorious mass-murdering supervillain known as Jack O'Lantern, the maniac behind the rise of the new supervillain crime cartel that called itself the Tomorrow Legion, had recently been exposed as the Hammer Labs scientist Steven Mark Levins. His niece was a young mutant college student named Kitty Pryde, whose mutant origins and relation to her murderous uncle had been given public exposure by the _Daily Globe._

Anti-mutant bigotry combined with the grief felt by many of Jack O'Lantern's victims, and one of them had placed a threatening letter in Kitty's mailbox. Formed by letters cut and pasted from a magazine, the letter had noted that "payback was a bitch", and that they were "watching" her. Needless to say, Kitty had been extremely upset, something for which Macendale couldn't blame her.

While something like this would normally be handled by the Hate Crimes Unit, it had been transferred to Superhuman Activities because it involved a super-powered mutant. That was the sad state of mutant affairs these days, Macendale realized. For all the very real progress the X-Men had made in building support for mutant rights, mutants still had a hard time getting fair treatment from the police when they were the victims of hate crimes, and mutant bigotry remained very popular in many circles, with pundits being widely applauded for the bullshit they spewed.

_I may be a dirty cop, but even I have some fucking standards, _Macendale thought, rubbing his eyes in disgust.

That was what pissed him off about the anti-mutant bigots, though.

Macendale knew full well he was a very bad man, but the bigots spewed hate while claiming to care for their country and communities.

Their self-righteous crap made him want to blow their goddamn heads off.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #32

"AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE"

* * *

Mary Jane Watson kept protectively close to Kitty Pryde as they walked home from school, constantly looking around at the passersby. Fortunately, many seemed content to ignore the two girls, although she got the occasional angry look and even one shout, although no one seemed to make a move to bother them. Kitty did her best to keep up a brave front, although Mary Jane had noticed she visibly flinched whenever she caught an angry glare or shout.

Leading her into their apartment building, Mary Jane got between Kitty and the mailbox and glanced through it without giving Kitty a chance to look at it. From there, the two girls headed upstairs to their apartment, where they sat down to prepare an afternoon snack. They ate in silence for several moments, before Mary Jane spoke up.

"…So, what time is Kong coming by?" Mary Jane asked.

Kitty didn't reply at first.

"…Kitty?" Mary Jane persisted.

"…We're not going out," Kitty finally muttered.

"What?" Mary Jane asked incredulously. "But you've been waiting for this date all week! Did Kong have to cancel?"

"…No," Kitty mumbled.

"Then why?" Mary Jane asked.

"Why do you think?" Kitty spat back with an angry scowl. "Because people stare and yell at me in the streets! Because my uncle ruined my goddamn life! Because I'm a fucking freak!" she continued, her voice rising to an angry scream before she burst into tears.

Mary Jane knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. Over the last few days, Kitty had seemed on the verge of breaking down, but now it finally came. Instinctively she came in and hugged Kitty once again, whispering soothing words into Kitty's ears as she let her friend pour out all her frustrations. They sat there for several minutes, as all of Kitty's old sadness and anger came boiling to the surface.

"…You know this isn't your fault, Kitty," Mary Jane finally tried to reassure her once she'd stopped sobbing.

"But…all those people he killed…even your…father…" Kitty mumbled.

"Jack O'Lantern did it, not you," Mary Jane reminded her gently. "And somehow I doubt he's a mutant, either-I mean, look at all the high-tech weapons he used!"

"…Big deal," Kitty shot back. "The _Globe _already said he was a mutant. That's what everyone will believe."

"But that doesn't mean that what he did is your fault-" Mary Jane tried to point out, before Kitty interrupted.

"It's still what they'll think!" Kitty shouted, her eyes blazing with anger. "I'm a mutant, I'm guilty, end of story! My home gets vandalized when I'm in high school, my dorm room gets trashed in university, and now everyone thinks I'm going to turn out to be a murderer, **just like my uncle,**" she finished venomously.

"That's not true, and you know it!" Mary Jane shot back, grabbing Kitty and forcing her to look into Mary Jane's eyes. "You said it yourself-Levins killed my father! Do you really think if what you're saying is true, I'd still be here? Would Randy still be there for you? Would Liz? Would Kong?"

"I…" Kitty trailed off. "Mary Jane, why are you…"

"Because I've been in the same boat as you," Mary Jane explained, more gently this time. "You've seen how angry I could get, and the way I lashed out at the people who tried to help me. I don't want it to happen to you, Kitty. You were always there for me when I needed you, and now I'm just trying to return the favor."

"But you don't know what it's like, being a mutant," Kitty cut in, bitterness still in her voice.

"Maybe not, but I saw the other side of it from my father," Mary Jane explained. "Believe me, I know all too well what people like him want. I heard the things he used to say to people like Graydon Creed, the way he sponsored people like Robert Kelly. That's one of the things that got me so angry in the first place."

Kitty didn't reply to that.

"You're not alone in this, Kitty. Neither am I, and you helped me realize that. What about Kong? He doesn't give a damn if you're a mutant-if he did, do you think he really would have gone steady with you? It doesn't matter whether you are or not-everything you've done to help me so far just shows what you're really like. Guys like Graydon Kelly and Jack O'Lantern are full of shit, and you're proof of that," Mary Jane concluded.

"But…but what if-" Kitty stammered.

"Not another word," Mary Jane insisted, staring intently into Kitty's eyes. "That's just what people like Creed want you to think. It's not what you are. I know it, Kong knows it, and you know it."

Mary Jane and Kitty stared intently at each other for a long time.

"Besides, this bad mood isn't like you at all," Mary Jane pointed out, a smile playing around the edge of her mouth. "I'm supposed to be the one with the angst and the bad temper! What, are you trying to steal my schtick?"

A sad smile crossed Kitty's face, and she hugged Mary Jane tightly.

Mary Jane hugged her back. She wasn't sure how much she managed to get through to Kitty, but she had no intention of giving up.

In the back of her mind, though, she felt a deep loathing and disgust for Jack O'Lantern, her most hated enemy, and what his perverted actions had done to his family.

* * *

Steven Mark Levins leaned back and cackled as he put down the final letter. In the few weeks since his trial and his imprisonment in the Raft, the superhuman wing of Ryker's Island Prison, he had received dozens of letters from adoring women and other devoted fans. Many of the women wanted to bear his children, while others expressed admiration at his depravity and the horrible crimes he'd committed.

Now a criminal psychologist wanted to interview him for some research study about the rise of supervillains, something which Levins took as a tremendous honor. From what the other supervillain inmates had told him-even Levins himself was astonished at how quickly he'd made friends among the rest of the supervillain community-the criminal psychologist doing the interviews had already spoken to many of the country's most dangerous villains. The likes of Doctor Octopus, Stilt-Man, Mister Hyde, Batroc the Leaper and even the dreaded Psyko had all been interviewed by the psychologist over the last couple of years, and now it was Levins' turn.

Indeed, Steven Mark Levins cut a very handsome figure. Despite being forty-two, his thick brown hair, bright black eyes, and the rakish face and sculpted figure of a god were the envy of men half his age. His charming, rich voice also made him a natural interview subject, even to people who recalled the frightening crimes he'd committed and just how dangerous he really was.

All the arrangements had been made, and later that day the psychologist arrived to speak to him. Much to Levins' surprise, the interviewer was a surprisingly young woman with long golden hair and bright blue eyes. She didn't even seem to be in her thirties, and for a moment Levins wondered if she was a college student or an intern…

…but then he knew better than anyone that appearances could be deceiving.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Levins," the young woman said as she shook his hand. "Thank you very much for-"

"Please, I prefer Jack O'Lantern," Levins replied, a perverse grin crossing his face.

""It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack O'Lantern," the young woman said as she shook his hand. "Thank you very much for agreeing to this interview."

"It's my pleasure, I assure you," Jack O'Lantern chuckled. "And you are?"

"I'm Dr. Karla Sofen," the young psychologist explained as she sat down and opened her notebook. "The purpose of this interview is part of a research study I'm undertaking that examines the motives supervillains have for their crimes. I'll be asking you a number of questions, and your answers will help me in my study. Do you have any objection to that?"

"By no means," Jack O'Lantern assured her. "Indeed, I'm flattered that you chose to include me in your work. Now then, where did you want to begin?"

"You've already explained your original motives for becoming a supervillain at length, so we won't repeat them here," Dr. Sofen started, as she turned on a tape recorder. "What I'm curious about, though, is where these impulses came from. What made you want to, for instance, terrorize your victims? Why did you want to rob and murder them? I fully understand your views on hypocrisy and the masks people wear, but I'm curious as to where your original desires came from."

"They came, I suspect, from the same impulses that drove you to study psychology, that drove George Lucas to make movies, that drove Babe Ruth to play baseball, that drove Einstein to study physics, and so on down the line," Jack O'Lantern explained. "Would I be wrong in assuming that you study psychology and psychiatry because these things give you a sense of fulfillment, that they stoke your passions and give meaning to your life?"

"Indeed," Dr. Sofen raised an eyebrow at this as she wrote in her notebook. "You simply find these actions fulfilling?"

"Quite," Jack O'Lantern smiled. "Indeed, in some respect the fact that they're wrong and that I'm not supposed to do them only increases the appeal of what I do. And in case you're wondering, no I never endured any trauma or abuse that made me want to start doing this. There's a line from the film _8mm _that I've always liked-'mommy didn't beat me, daddy didn't rape me. I'm this way because I _**am.**_' Why do people always try to attach some silly Freudian excuse to everything supervillains do? How are we really any different than your ordinary run-of-the-mill criminals?"

"That's quite an interesting perspective," Dr. Sofen replied, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I can't say that I recall the last time the Yakuza or the Russian Mafia tried to destroy the world, however."

"That's just because a lot of criminals simply don't think big enough," Jack waved away the question. "Besides, I can't recall anyone speculating on the supposed Freudian excuses of people like John Gotti, Philippe Bazin, Al Capone or Crimewave. You're the expert, you tell me!"

Dr. Sofen thought on that for several moments, before she spoke again.

"...And what about your relatives?" she asked Jack. "Surely you know how they've been harassed by the friends and families of your victims? Does that bother you at all?"

"…Why would it?" Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "They're just like the rest of the sheep I hate. If anything, it's actually kind of funny. I showed the world what I really am, and now the friends and families of my victims are showing their true colors too! I'm an inspiration!"

Jack O'Lantern cackled at this, delighting in the irony.

"And what about Spider-Woman?" Dr. Sofen asked.

Jack O'Lantern's laughter stopped in an instant.

"…What about her?" he demanded, a dangerous light appearing in his eyes.

"Why did you fixate on her as your arch-nemesis? Did you consciously choose her as an opponent, or did she just happen to be the first hero to cross your path?" Dr. Sofen asked, taking a keen interest in the manic look that had seized Jack O'Lantern's face.

"…It was both," Jack O'Lantern finally muttered after several moments. "She was the first hero to cross my path, and when I realized what she stood for I chose her as my enemy. Perhaps it could have been Moon Knight, or Darkhawk, or Daredevil, but it was Spider-Woman. And I swear, that if it takes my entire life, I will destroy her and everything and everyone she holds dear," he concluded in a cold, collected tone.

Jack O'Lantern remained eerily calm, sitting in silence for several minutes as Dr. Sofen wrote in her notebook.

"How interesting," she finally concluded. "That's all the questions I had for now. Did you have any final words?"

Jack O'Lantern looked up again, with that same eerie calm. His eyes glowed with that same dangerous light, and when he spoke his tone was hauntingly cold.

"Remember that I'm the future, Dr. Sofen. You have spoken to my peers, and you know that we continue to grow in numbers and in power. There are enough of us to form a rogues' gallery for every hero that tries to stop what we do. Sooner or later, every hero will fall to one of their enemies."

"We are tomorrow, Doctor."

"We are Legion."

Those words stayed with Dr. Sofen as the guards led Steven Mark Levins back to his cell.

* * *

Left alone in the room for a few moments, she cradled the golden pendant she always wore beneath her clothes, admiring the way it glowed with its own inner light.

Jack O'Lantern's words echoed in her mind, as she stared intently at the pendant.

Very, very soon, it would be time.

* * *

Ben Reilly felt sick to his stomach as he made his way home. Although it had been more than a week since his parents' house had been vandalized with rotten fruit and dog shit, he still felt the odd hateful stare or angry shout from passersby on his way home. He still couldn't quite believe it himself-his Uncle Steve, a man who'd been like a second father to him and watched him grow up, was Jack O'Lantern. All that friendly charm, that endearing eccentricity, had been a mask for a twisted, depraved monster.

His mother Karen had suffered a massive shock when she'd heard the news, and had to stay in the hospital overnight. Even now, more than a week later, she was still pale and drained, and when she spoke it was only with one-syllable words. A stiff silence had prevailed in the Reilly household, one that had begun after Ben had gotten into a fight with his father Andrew over Ben's wanting to date Mary Jane Watson, and ended with Ben resolving to get another job and apartment and pay for university on his own.

Now, Karen was asleep upstairs when Ben came home, although Andrew was working at his computer when Ben passed by his office on his way to check in on Karen. As Ben came back, Andrew called him in, asking his son to sit down. Andrew himself had apparently tried to keep a calm demeanor, although Ben could still detect a distinct underlying strain in his father's manner.

"Dad," Ben addressed his father as he sat down.

"Benjamin," Andrew nodded curtly. "How's the job hunt been going?" he asked, a slightly sardonic tone in his voice.

"Well, I…" Ben stammered.

"I thought you were going to get a second job to pay for school," Andrew replied, raising an eyebrow. "And that you were going to find another place to live. Or are you going to continue relying on your mother and I?"

"But…Dad…with everything that's-" Ben tried to think of what to say. "I…I just can't-I thought Mom would-"

"You would be right about that," Andrew replied, folding his arms as his eyes narrowed. "Your mother is glad to have you here. It's good to see that you're showing some sense on that."

"Okay…" Ben began, uncertain of where his father was going. "So what are you-"

"Are you still planning to leave?" Andrew asked him pointedly. "From what I understand, you didn't seem to think you needed our paying your tuition and letting you stay here."

"I…was going to," Ben started, "but with everything that's happened…why are you asking me all this now, anyway?" he demanded, his voice taking on an edge.

"Because I want you to think," Andrew replied, his eyes narrowing. "Are you really ready to do this? If you are, that's your business, but if you're not then you shouldn't be jumping into something like this before you're sure you're actually prepared for it."

"Well, I thought I was-" Ben shook his head.

"You've seen how things can change, almost overnight," Andrew sighed, as his stern countenance seemed to relax somewhat. "You've seen how people can act when they learned that Kitty was a mutant. And look at how they treated your mother when she found out about…Mr. Levins," he finished, spitting out the word with some effort. "That's why I keep trying to warn you about girls like Mary Jane or Amy-you never know what they're really like on the inside."

"And how am I supposed to actually start to be prepared for these types of things if you won't let me get burned?" Ben replied acidly, his tone coming out angrier than he wanted it to. "Can't I make these kinds of decisions myself?"

"Are you really sure you're ready?" Andrew asked him. "Because that's what I've been trying to tell you-you need to know if you're really sure what you're doing."

"Well, I…" Ben trailed off, now suddenly not so sure.

"I've been where you were before, Ben," Andrew sighed. "I wasn't sure where I was going, and I made some bad decisions. Struggling to make ends meet in a ratty apartment, working sixty hours a week at two jobs, and all because I jumped headlong into what I thought I wanted before I was really ready. I know you're capable of making the right choices, Ben, but you're only twenty. That's what I kept trying to warn you about-it's one thing to start on the ground floor and work your way up, but it's another to start in the sewers and have to go even further."

Ben thought on that for a moment.

"You could have just told me," he finally pointed out, "instead of threatening my girlfriends. What good did that do, anyway?"

"...A lot of them just got under my skin," Andrew muttered. "I just thought you could do a lot better than any of them."

"But that's the sort of thing that I need to be able to decide for myself," Ben replied. "Otherwise, I won't even get to start in the sewers. I won't even be able to start at all."

With that, Ben got up and left the room, leaving Andrew to think over what he said.

* * *

Nick Katzenberg positively glowed as he strolled through the city room of the _Daily Globe, _reveling in the praise his editor had given him on breaking the Kitty Pryde/Steven Mark Levins story. The brightness of his smile was somewhat diminished by his crooked and ugly yellow teeth, and his coworkers would probably have appreciated it if Nick shaved and showered more than once every three or four days, or if he did his laundry more than once every three or four months.

Not that Nick particularly cared what his coworkers thought-no one who worked for the _Daily Globe _was ever going to be nominated for a Pulitzer, after all!

The _Daily Globe _was widely loathed by the rest of the New York newspaper industry, as well as by most of the city's politicians, celebrities and minority communities. Its stock in trade revolved around high-profile sex scandals, outing gays and mutants to the public at large, and running op-ed articles from both left- and right-wing extremists that largely consisted of demonizing anyone on the other side of the spectrum or who simply dared to disagree with them. It was also notable as the only paper in New York that routinely published invectives against Muslims and mutants alike, something that did not endear it to either of those communities.

Indeed, what made breaking the Pryde-Levins story so appealing to Katzenberg was the fact that he really hadn't had to do much research or fact-checking. For whatever reason, his contact had refused to accept any kind of payment for the story, and had supplied all the juicy details free of charge!

Snickering as he congratulated himself on playing his contact for a sucker, he pulled out his phone and called Mr. Alvers again.

"Lance?...It's Nicky…Yeah, did you see it?...Beautiful, isn't it?...Well yeah, I guess she's probably going to get a lot of shit for it…Of course we're covering it…Her family's been getting a lot of grief too…Sure, no problem!...Hey, it was my pleasure, thanks a lot!"

Hanging up the phone, Nick only laughed again at how easily he'd been able to make a fool out of this Lance Alvers character.

* * *

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Mary Jane told Kenny Anderson as she came into Kenny's dorm room, in which he lived alone.

"It's no problem at all," Kenny assured her while he set up his supplies. "Life's been pretty busy, I take it?"

"You might say that," Mary Jane sighed. In between her studies, her job, and shadowing Kitty as Spider-Woman whenever she had some spare time in case her mutant friend was attacked or otherwise harassed when she went out in public, Mary Jane had been feeling the strain again, and it was starting to show.

"Do you want some tea, or something?" Kenny asked her. "You look kind of pale-maybe you should eat something."

"That'd be nice, thanks," Mary Jane smiled gratefully. "And I am kind of hungry, come to think of it-would you mind if I had one of these brownies?" she asked, pointing to a tray on Kenny's desk next to the art supplies.

"Sure, go-wait, no! No, don't eat those!" Kenny stopped her frantically, pulling her hand away before she could grab one of the brownies.

Mary Jane just blinked at him in astonishment.

"…What's wrong with them?" she asked in utter confusion.

"Oh…well…uh…" he fumbled, trying desperately to come up with a plausible excuse. "They're really stale."

"They look fine to me," Mary Jane blinked, glancing at the tray of brownies again.

"Trust me, they came out bad!" Kenny said, too quickly. "They'll taste terrible, believe me. I'm pretty much the only one who can stomach them."

"…Whatever," Mary Jane shrugged, seeing no need to argue. "What else do you have?"

"A lot of different things," Kenny replied, opening up his room fridge. "You ever hear of a Dagwood sandwich?"

Mary Jane's blank look answered for her.

"_Blondie _was an old comic strip that starred this guy named Dagwood," Kenny explained. "His idea of a sandwich was to just cram whatever kind of food he could find between two slices of bread. That pretty much sums up my own cooking skills, too."

Mary Jane couldn't help but giggle as she glanced through Kenny's completely disorganized fridge. Chocolate bars competed for space with fruit juice and sliced vegetables, while canned ham was stacked next to raw cucumbers. She just about managed to find enough things to make a fruit sandwich, which she quickly munched on as Kenny made her some tea.

"So, what scene did you pick out?" Kenny asked Mary Jane once she'd finished eating.

"The starry night one," Mary Jane replied, as she flipped through Kenny's portfolio to the right rendering. It depicted a young woman sitting on a rock at the top of a forested hill, staring reflectively at a beautiful starlit night sky that seemed to draw her gaze into infinity, focusing on a shooting star that pierced the darkness, leaving a trail of light that shimmered in its wake. The woman was vaguely depicted, as Kenny intended to draw the woman in the final version to represent his model, who in this case would be Mary Jane.

"Nice," Kenny grinned, as he and Mary Jane got into position for him to begin sketching. "This is going to look great, I can tell."

"Hey, it's my pleasure," Mary Jane reassured him, taking on a reflective, faraway look to help Kenny better catch the mood of the drawing.

They sat in silence for a while, as Kenny worked diligently at recreating Mary Jane on paper. It took more than an hour, but by the time they were done Kenny had more than done justice to Mary Jane's beauty, and she didn't hesitate to tell him so.

"This is amazing," she said in astonishment as she looked at the final sketch. "How did you get to be so good at art?"

"Talent and practice, I guess," Kenny shrugged. "Besides, I could ask you how you got to be so good at acting."

"…You've seen me on stage?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Of course I have," Kenny grinned. "I went to see _The Wiz _three times, and you were fantastic. How did you learn to do that?"

"…Talent and practice, I guess," Mary Jane replied, before she giggled again. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"Believe me, I did," Kenny assured her. "And thanks for posing for me."

"It was an honor," Mary Jane smiled back. "Be sure and send me a copy of that picture when you're finally done, okay?"

"You bet," Kenny assured her.

"I'm looking forward to it," Mary Jane replied, giving Kenny a brief hug that he seemed to enjoy immensely. "Take care!"

"Wait, hang on!" Kenny replied as she went to pick up her jacket.

"What is it?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Are you okay?" Kenny asked her. "You seem to have a lot on your mind…"

"It's not something you can probably really help with," Mary Jane frowned, looking away. "I appreciate the offer, but-"

"Whatever it is, you shouldn't try and take it all on your own," Kenny warned her, suddenly taking on a much more serious tone than Mary Jane had ever heard from him. "You won't do anyone any good at all by doing that, especially not yourself."

Mary Jane thought on that for a moment.

"I'll keep that in mind," she smiled at Kenny. "Thanks a lot."

"Anytime," Kenny reassured her. He couldn't help but feel bad for her, especially when he saw the frustrations she'd tried to conceal from him.

Being friends with Rick Sheridan had taught him just how bad doing that could be.

* * *

Marie-Ange Colbert gathered up her cards as she finished the divination, glancing in frustration at the clock on the wall. Visiting hours were almost over, and so far neither Mary Jane nor her parents had shown up. She'd passed the time doing tarot readings for the other inmates, although she couldn't stop from feeling increasingly bored and frustrated.

When she'd first developed the mutant ability to channel physical manifestations of the spirits of the Major Arcana of the Tarot, Marie-Ange had tried to use her abilities to kidnap and kill the people she'd thought had made her life miserable, first on her own and then with the assistance of the demonic wizard who called himself the Bookworm. Both times she'd been stopped by the heroic Spider-Woman, although on the second occasion she'd realized that the Bookworm's evil magic was tainting her own tarot powers and she'd had her own magical creations attack the Bookworm's own minions to release their prisoners.

At first Marie-Ange had thought everything would work out-she'd turned herself in to the police, she'd been allowed to keep her tarot cards to perform standard divinations for her fellow inmates. Now, though, she kept remembering what the Bookworm had said about vengeance, and the power she had to make things right.

Marie-Ange still remembered the look of frustration on Jean-Jacques Colbert's face every time he went to one of the two jobs he had to work to pay her medical bills because she was always getting sick and until now he'd had to pay her tuition because he'd thought with his dick instead of his brain-

Marie-Ange still remembered the look on Annie Colbert's face when she drank herself stupid over the thought of not being able to go to university, because she was enough of an idiot to get knocked up young and have to take care of a whiny little bronchial-

Marie-Ange still remembered the way everyone at Midtown High and Empire State University treated her like a freak, especially those bitches Felicia Hardy and Sally Avril, and everybody else just stood and watched and the only one who even tried to show some support for her was Mary Jane Watson and that was only after the fact-

Marie-Ange still remembered how the Bookworm was the only person who'd ever been nice to her without being guilt-tripped into it, and even though he'd perverted the written word to kidnap and kill people and his desire for revenge had driven him insane and the tarot spirits told her what she was doing was wrong he'd actually made a lot of sense at the time even though she couldn't bring herself to do it-

Marie-Ange still remembered the conflict she'd felt at the time when the tarot spirits reminded her what she was doing was wrong, and she'd had them destroy the Bookworm's magical creations but doing the right thing hadn't made it any better for her and she was still rotting in jail and she didn't know what to do anymore-

Making her way back to her cell and sitting down on her bunk, Marie-Ange put her head in her hands, trying to somehow calm her whirling thoughts.

* * *

"In summary, the costumed supervillain is merely the latest manifestation in a phenomenon that reoccurs throughout the centuries," Maggie Beck told the graduate committee she was defending her thesis to. "Actors have been donning costumes to recreate stories and legends. Indigenous cultures donned masks as part of their religious and magical rituals. The Carnival of Venice is a centuries-old tradition where participants don masks and disguises to conceal their identities and engage in actions that they would never otherwise do in public."

"So how do supervillains fit into it?" one of the professors judging her thesis asked.

"Decades of social conditioning by comic books and related media," Maggie explained. "For decades, we've been bombarded by images and stories stating that donning an outlandish outfit and either fighting or committing crime is the natural thing to do if you're a super-powered person. And now, we're in an era where life is imitating art-people are developing superhuman abilities either spontaneously or through any number of freak circumstances, magic is now a tangible and verifiable thing, and we have proof that alien creatures exist. In such circumstances, it's only natural that people would begin imitating what they've seen in superhero comics, on television, and in the movies."

"Did the supervillains you interviewed actually state this?" another one of the professors wondered, rubbing his chin skeptically.

"Not in that way, but it was a common thread in their stated reasons for becoming supervillains, as you'll see in Part Five," Maggie stated. "Blacklash, for instance, wanted to gather as much media hype as he could, so he used his outlandish costume to attract public attention. Spectra embraced her rainbow-like appearance because she thought it symbolized her ultimate social goals. Mister Hyde claimed that his savage features contrasted with his gentlemanly attire, illustrating the hidden savagery and the inner monster he embraced. The Brothers Grimm claimed that his bizarre attire set the proper tone in his audience's minds for the performances he was about to give them. Screaming Mimi simply enjoyed standing out and expressing who she really was, in her words. In every case, they donned their attire because they felt it was conducive to their larger social desires."

"Interesting," the second professor replied, pushing his glasses back up on his nose. "I notice that most of your thesis concerns the supervillains-did you conduct any research with the superheroes?"

"Most of the heroes I tried to contact declined to be interviewed," Maggie shook her head, "for reasons of protecting their secret identities. Most supervillains don't have to worry about such considerations, once they're in police custody. I did, however, manage an interview with Susan Storm, who's the Invisible Woman and leader of the Fantastic Four. She claimed that heroes generally adopt their costumed identities so that they can use their powers while still being able to participate in mainstream society. They tend to live their lives in their civilian identities, and only put on their own costumes when they need to defend society from the people who try to harm and destroy it."

"But you weren't able to get much more data on the superhero side of it," the second professor persisted.

"No, but that wasn't the primary focus of my research anyway. As I specifically stated, my intent is to examine the psychology of supervillains and why they've done what they do. Superheroes are of course interesting in and of themselves, but I decided to focus on the supervillain side of the issue."

The second professor nodded in satisfaction and wrote something down on his notepad, even as the rest of the graduate committee began mumbling and nodding approvingly.

Maguire Beck had had many proud moments in her life, but none more than when the committee unanimously agreed to approve her thesis and grant her Master's Degree in Psychology. This was what she had spent so much time researching supervillains for, why she'd made such an effort to delve into their psychology and motivations for doing the things they did, why she'd taken such an interest in Jack O'Lantern's activities.

And now, all her hard work had paid off.

* * *

J. Jonah Jameson, owner, publisher, sole stockholder and editor-in-chief of the _Daily Bugle, _was in a particularly foul mood today. His employees would say that was nothing new-ever since he'd joined the Navy at age sixteen after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Jameson had been fighting. After he'd finished his battles against the Japanese, he'd switched from the sword to the pen after returning to New York. His thundering editorials attacked everything from political corruption to anti-Semitism to anti-Muslim sentiment to hate groups like the Friends of Humanity, while he passionately supported the 1960s Civil Rights movement, the separation of church and state, a superhuman registration act, the mutant rights movement and limited government. Despite having recently turned eighty-one years old, Jameson hadn't lost any of the fire that made him so admired and so hated at the same time.

Today, the fight was somewhat more personal. While Jameson had always detested the _New York Times _and the rest of the _Bugle's _rivals, he'd always nursed a special hatred for the _Daily Globe, _particularly for its sleazy and exploitative nature. Not that Jameson didn't enjoy turning a profit from his crusading, but in his view he was at least accomplishing something worthwhile in the process.

While Jameson hadn't dealt much with Kitty Pryde in the work she'd done for the entertainment section, he didn't miss much that went on in the offices of his newspaper. He'd seen how Kitty had tried to put on a brave face, but her true feelings were clear as glass to the perceptive Jameson. He'd also seen all the harassment and threats Steven Mark Levins' relatives had endured ever since that second-rate copy boy Katzenberg had leaked the information to the public.

Fuming inwardly, he threw aside the offending edition of the _Globe _and opened the word-processing program on his computer. He'd been wondering what the subject of his next editorial should be, and now he had it.

_**HYPOCRITES!**_ ran the byline.

_That's what the people harassing Steven Mark Levins' relatives are. Anyone who lost a friend or a family member to Jack O'Lantern's insanity forfeited the right to expect any sympathy the moment they threw an anti-mutant slur at Kitty Pryde, vandalized Karen Reilly's home or picketed Jennifer Pryde's place of business. They've gone from being victims to being thugs, bullying innocent people the same way that Jack O'Lantern did. I suppose they learned from the best…_

The editorial continued in that vein, deliberately waving a red flag in front of the people harassing Levins' relatives with the most inflammatory language J. Jonah Jameson could conjure up from almost sixty years in the newspaper business.

The people who were victimizing Kitty Pryde and her family would be outraged, Jameson knew. They'd turn their wrath on him, and begin picketing, harassing and vandalizing him in turn. Some of them might even try to threaten his life.

For a man who'd been repeatedly threatened all his life by groups ranging from the city's crime syndicates to the Ku Klux Klan to the Friends of Humanity, it was an appealing thought.

* * *

Mary Jane was relieved to have Saturday off from both work and school, exhausted as she was from her studies, working at the coffee shop and looking after Kitty as Spider-Woman whenever she could spare a moment. Aside from the incident with Joystick, things had been quiet for the last several weeks, something Mary Jane deeply appreciated.

Unfortunately, that still left her with the problem of somehow coming up with enough money to pay for both Empire State University's tuition hike and their apartment's upcoming rent increase. With the end of September rapidly approaching, Mary Jane knew she had to think of something, and fast, or she'd probably have to drop out of school and she and Kitty would have to find another place to live.

She was still thinking about the problem when her phone rang, and when she checked who it was from she wasn't sure whether to feel relief or dread. Kingsley Cosmetics always paid really, really well, but she'd always felt more than a little disgusted by the way Roderick Kingsley ogled her whenever she was in his presence. Swallowing hard and forcing herself to remember that she needed the money, she answered the phone and summoned all her acting skills to maintain an even tone in her voice.

"Hello?" Mary Jane asked.

_"Is this Mary Jane Watson?" _a voice on the other end asked. To Mary Jane's surprise, it wasn't Roderick Kingsley.

"Speaking," she replied, resisting the urge to jump for joy at the fact she wasn't dealing with Kingsley.

_"My name is Sebastian Ziegler," _the man on the other end said, _"and I'm a talent coordinator with Kingsley Cosmetics. I understand you've done some work for us in the past, and we were wondering if you'd be interested in doing so again." _

"What did you have in mind?" Mary Jane asked.

_"We're preparing an ad campaign to promote the release of our new summer fragrance," _Mr. Ziegler explained. _"It's a successor to Red Lavender, our Satin Angel line. We're looking for spokesmodels to star in our TV commercials, and we were wondering if you'd be interested." _

"How much would it pay?" Mary Jane asked, and then nearly fell out of her chair when she heard Mr. Ziegler's pay quote.

She thought on the offer for several moments. The money would more than cover her tuition and rent expenses, not to mention what a successful ad campaign would do for her career…

"I'm still in school, though," she mentioned.

_"That's no problem," _Mr. Ziegler assured her. _"Mr. Kingsley assured me that we could work around your class schedules in filming." _

A chill ran down Mary Jane's spine.

"Mr. Kingsley wanted you to call me?" she asked, trying very hard to stay calm.

_"Yes, he wanted to give you the first choice," _Mr. Ziegler replied. _"Do you want to take the job?" _

Mary Jane felt sick to her stomach all over again.

She really, really, _really _didn't want Kingsley leering at her again…

…but without the money she'd get, her days at ESU were numbered and she and Kitty would almost certainly have to find somewhere else to live.

"…It sounds good," Mary Jane finally forced herself to say. "When did you want me for?"

_"May I call you back in a couple of days?" _Mr. Ziegler asked. "We can work out the details then."

"Sounds good!" Mary Jane said brightly, before she hung up.

She wasn't sure whether she wanted to cheer or retch.

* * *

Lance Alvers hung up the phone, smiling to himself in satisfaction. Nick Katzenberg had run a follow-up article detailing Jack O'Lantern's twisted views, which Lance had learned of from his friends in the Raft. Lance had been there a few times himself, and he'd come to respect many of the other residents, even if they weren't mutants.

Born in Greece, Dominic Petros had immigrated to America with his family when he was just three years old in search of a better life. Unfortunately, they found that the American Dream was more myth than reality, especially once Dominic's earth-moving mutant powers had manifested. He'd avenged his family's murders by using his earth-moving powers to kill their murderers, and then he'd slaughtered the murderers' own families for good measure, too.

Dominic Petros had come of age in a time when mutants had begun appearing in vast numbers throughout society, many of them developing their powers in the face of fear and hatred from non-powered "baseline" humans. Just as Jews, Muslims, blacks, gays and many other minority groups had suffered beatings, rapes, murders and other hate crimes, so too did mutants…and Dominic saw it all.

In turn, the mutants had begun to fight back. One of them, a charismatic leader named Magneto, had turned the humans' hatred back against them-clearly that hated and feared mutants because mutants were the next step in Earthly evolution, and the humans would be left behind. Why, then, shouldn't the mutants fulfill their destiny? Why shouldn't they rule over the humans whose time is passing? If the humans call them evil, then why _shouldn't _they be evil, if it was evil to take up their rightful place as the planet's rulers?

Dominic heard, and he listened. Following in the footsteps of many of his fellow mutants, he adopted a codename that reflected his powers, dubbing himself Avalanche. Joining the ranks of Magneto's Acolytes, Avalanche had shown enough promise to be recruited to the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, a team of operatives handpicked by Magneto that carried out black ops terrorist actions in the name of mutant supremacy.

One of the Brotherhood's secondary goals was also to recruit new and promising young mutants to the Acolytes, and Avalanche had set his eyes on the lovely young Kitty Pryde. Kitty had just rejected a call from the X-Men, but to Avalanche's shock she'd also rejected the offer to join the Acolytes.

Avalanche had been outraged at this mortal insult, and his first instinct had been to slaughter Kitty's human relatives to punish her for betraying her own kind. He'd later gotten a much surer and subtler idea when Steven Mark Levins had been revealed as Jack O'Lantern, namely using that idiot Nick Katzenberg and the hacked-out tabloid he worked for to publicly spread knowledge of Kitty's relationship to Levins. Avalanche had adopted the alias of Lance Alvers to conceal his true identity from Katzenberg, although the fat moron hadn't even bothered to double check his sources.

Some journalist!

Now, with the renewed harassment and hatred Kitty was facing, Avalanche was confident she would see the light, and that the hatred would burn bright within her.

And he knew she would return to the Acolytes.

To him.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane meets with Roderick Kingsley to discuss appearing in his new TV ad campaign, and has to decide whether to accept his final offer. Kingsley's offer is far from the only issue she has to deal with, as Avalanche's manipulations come to a head and he attempts to recruit Kitty to the Acolytes of Magneto, including by force if necessary. As Spider-Woman, can Mary Jane possibly hope to save one of her closest friends? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #33: I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet!)_


	36. I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet

Kitty Pryde could feel the loathing coming off them, could note their spiteful glares. The people she passed in the street spat at her, flashed obscene gestures at her, occasionally yelled at her. Their hate was directed at anyone who, like her, was cursed with what modern geneticists called the "X-gene", a particular gene that caused humans to spontaneously develop superhuman powers. They were referred to as "mutants", beings with abilities that no ordinary human could replicate.

Kitty was a mutant, and her particular curse allowed her to become intangible and pass through solid objects, including people. She considered it to be completely useless, aside from those rare occasions when she'd locked herself out of her car or home and needed to pass through the door to unlock it from the inside. While she'd been contacted by both the mutant heroes known as the X-Men and the Acolytes of Magneto, she'd refused both their invitations to join, wanting nothing to do with mutant politics and preferring to simply live her own life the way she wanted to.

Now, however, mutant politics had found her again, after a sleazy tabloid calling itself the _Daily Globe _had publicly revealed her as a mutant and associated her with the mass-murdering supervillain Jack O'Lantern, who had turned out to be her uncle, Steven Mark Levins. She'd received threatening letters in the mail, her mother's workplace had been picketed, and her aunt's house had been vandalized.

All because she was a mutant.

Now she saw the true faces of so many of the people around her, saw how they reacted when they'd learned she was a mutant.

She was so lost in her reverie that she couldn't react in time to avoid bumping into the short, chubby man who deliberately blocked her path. Stumbling back in alarm and dropping her books, she scrambled to pick them up but ended up falling on her face as someone kicked her from behind. Grunting in pain as she landed on the sidewalk, she rolled onto her back and rose to a sitting position in time to see two large hulking young men grinning at her.

"I'll be damned," one of the men grinned at the other. "Kick a mutie and she falls over."

"Now let's see what happens if we stick a mutie," the other man grinned sadistically, as he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket. "Think she'll bleed?"

Kitty felt a chill run through her as she saw the other man pull out a switchblade of his own, and they began advancing on her. The evil looks in their eyes, hate mixed with a perverse pleasure in what they were doing, would have spelled their intentions out clearly to Kitty even without their sadistic laughter.

All because she was a mutant.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #33

"I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE UNDER MY FEET"

* * *

"Leave me alone!" Kitty spat, fear turning to anger. "What did I ever do to you?" she demanded.

"You were born," one of the thugs sneered. He lunged at Kitty with his knife, only to find himself stumbling right through her as she focused her intangibility powers. The other thug lunged in too, but Kitty phased through him too and began running.

"Nice try, cunt!" one of the thugs shouted, as he and his buddy began running after her. "You don't stop with the mutant crap and face us, we payin' your relatives a visit! Think they'd like that?"

Anger turned back to horror as Kitty paled at the thought. She stopped running and turned around, deactivating her intangibility powers as she stepped into a fighting stance. Her friend and roommate Mary Jane Watson had taught her a number of basic self-defense techniques, but they hadn't gotten very far in their lessons yet and Kitty wasn't sure how effective her basic training would be against two men at once.

As the two men advanced on her, a pair of silvery-grey strands shot down from above and entangled their legs, tripping them so they landed face down on the ground. Shouting in alarm, they were suddenly pulled into the air as the strands began to withdraw, hauling the men upwards so they hung upside down in the air. Comically, their pants were pulled down around their knees by the force of the effort, exposing their underwear to Kitty and the rest of the passersby, who'd all been too intimidated to step in.

Looking up in surprise at the silvery strands, Kitty realized that they were in fact spider webbing, tied to the top of the lamppost above her. Kitty then saw the source of the weblines, who was standing on top of the lamppost and had just finished tying her webbing to the light. The new arrival was a stunning young woman with long, rich black hair and a gorgeous, svelte figure, clad in a costume of red and gold, which Kitty immediately recognized as belonging to the spectacular Spider-Woman, one of New York City's newest costumed superheroes.

Spider-Woman sprang off the top of the lamppost, twirling through the air and making a perfect three-point landing on her feet, a disgusted glare on her face as she considered the two thugs she'd just strung up.

"Wow, even smaller than I thought," Spider-Woman quipped as she looked the two men over. "Aren't you two guys the big, brave tough men, picking on a girl half your size when there's two of you and just one of her?"

"Let us go, you fucking bitch!" one of the men shouted, his face red with anger and humiliation.

"Now, why would I do that?" Spider-Woman rolled her eyes. "I think the gene pool could use a little chlorine here," she continued dryly, turning back to Kitty.

Kitty couldn't help but snicker in spite of herself.

"No, here's what we're going to do," Spider-Woman smiled, as she tied both men up with another stream of webbing and gagged their mouths shut for good measure, "this nice young lady is going to call the police, and you two are, I'm sure, going to end up getting more action from your cellmates than you ever would from an actual woman."

Behind her, Kitty had just finished dialing the police on her cell phone.

"Are you okay?" Spider-Woman asked Kitty gently, ignoring the uncertain looks and occasional catcalls from the passersby who had seen everything happen.

"…Whatever," Kitty muttered, turning away.

"I guess that means no, huh?" Spider-Woman asked.

Kitty didn't reply.

Spider-Woman opened her mouth as if to say something else, but then she turned around and glared at the rest of the passersby, many of whom were still standing and watching the scene.

"Where the hell were the rest of you, huh?" she demanded.

Some of the bystanders looked ashamed, others scowled at Spider-Woman, and still others just walked away.

"…Ingrates," Spider-Woman muttered in disgust, before she turned back to Kitty.

"Mind if I stick around until the police get here?" Spider-Woman asked. "You might need me to back up your story when they arrest Beavis and Butt-Head over there," she pointed out, gesturing to the two thugs who still hung from the lamppost.

"…Do whatever the hell you want," Kitty muttered.

Spider-Woman tried to say something else, but the words just wouldn't come.

That bothered her by itself, but it wasn't nearly as unnerving as the look she saw in Kitty's eyes.

* * *

Mary Jane Watson shook her head as she tried to concentrate on her homework, unable to get what had happened with Kitty out of her mind. It hadn't taken long for the police to come and arrest the two thugs, and Kitty's and Spider-Woman's statements had been backed up by several of the bystanders who'd watched it happen. After Spider-Woman had intervened to help Kitty, many of the other people had clearly been shamed into speaking up, and the video footage one of them had filmed on their camera phone would be more than enough to send the two thugs up the river.

Although Kong had taken to escorting Kitty to and from home on a number of occasions, today he'd been called into work on short notice and wasn't able to look after her. Even then, Mary Jane still felt better shadowing them as Spider-Woman in case they were faced with a threat Kong couldn't handle-as she'd seen with the Constrictor, people would send superhuman assassins after their victims for the most insane reasons.

Unfortunately, all the time she'd spent shadowing Kitty as Spider-Woman had taken up quite a bit of her time, even though she hadn't had to deal with any supervillain activity since her fight with Joystick at the start of the academic year. In between working at the coffee shop and staying up later at night to try and stay on top of her studies, Mary Jane hadn't been getting as much sleep at night as she did during the summer. The grades she'd gotten in her first few assignments had been good enough, although she knew she could have done better if she could have spent more time on them.

Kitty stomped into the living room, an angry glare on her face. She sat down next to Mary Jane and began poring through a textbook, whispering under her breath the whole time.

"How's it going, Kitty?" Mary Jane asked gently.

Kitty just shook her head and sighed.

"Not good, huh?" Mary Jane persisted.

"No, unless you consider being attacked by a pair of knife-wielding thugs to be a good thing," Kitty replied snidely.

"What?" Mary Jane asked in horror. She knew all about the attack, of course, but Kitty didn't know that she knew.

"I'm just glad that Spider-Woman saved me," Kitty shook her head. "I'm amazed she' be willing to do that after everything my…_uncle…_put her through," she finished, forcing herself to say the word 'uncle' with considerable effort.

"I'd be more amazed if she didn't," Mary Jane replied. "She wouldn't have deserved to be called a hero if she hadn't helped you. Besides, it's like I told you before-Steven Mark Levins did all that stuff, not you!"

"…I know," Kitty finally sighed. "It's just…oh God," she finally trailed off.

"Kitty?" Mary Jane asked.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, MJ," Kitty said, tears in her eyes. "My life's gone to shit ever since the _Globe _outed me as a mutant. I can hardly go out anymore without people staring and shouting at me. Now I have people attacking me. What if…what if they…"

"…Go after your family, or your friends?" Mary Jane asked, taking Kitty's hand in her own.

"...Yeah," Kitty finally nodded. "I just…I couldn't live with myself if something like that happened."

"Kitty, you can't blame yourself for this," Mary Jane tried to point out to her.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" she asked miserably. "I'm a mutant and there's nothing I can do about it."

"So what are you going to do, then?" Mary Jane asked, a sharper tone in her voice now. "Cut yourself off from your friends and your family? Cut yourself off from your life? How's that going to stop the bigots from going after the people who care about?"

"I…" Kitty trailed off, not sure how to answer.

"That's what can happen if you let those people define who you are," Mary Jane pointed out. "Whatever happens, they're going to try to do what they intend to do. And if there's anything I can do about it, they're going to regret it," she smiled widely.

"MJ…" Kitty trailed off again.

"Like I told you before, you're not alone in this," Mary Jane reminded her. "Harry Osborn and I might not be mutants, but we've felt that same way you do now-angry, helpless, alone. Liz Allan reminded Harry that he's not alone, and you helped me realize that, too. I just want to do the same for you."

Once again, Mary Jane stared into Kitty's eyes, hoping that she'd made an impact.

Kitty hugged Mary Jane tightly once again, and when she leaned back, the angry light was gone from her eyes.

* * *

Life in the Raft, the superhuman wing of Riker's Island Penitentiary, was very good for Steven Mark Levins. Publicly known as the mass-murdering supervillain Jack O'Lantern, Levins had gained considerable prestige among his professional colleagues for organizing the Tomorrow Legion, which he intended as a crime syndicate run by and for supervillains, one that could challenge the established crime lords for control of the city. While Levins himself had been defeated by Spider-Woman and subsequently imprisoned in the Raft, the Tomorrow Legion lived on under the new leadership of Doctor Octopus.

Every time he sat in the prison cafeteria, Levins was perfectly at home, chatting amiably with his fellow criminals and murderers as if he'd prepared for it all his life. Today he was having lunch with Max Dillon, better known as Electro, who'd joined the Tomorrow Legion and had recently been defeated by Spider-Man while carrying out one of the missions Octopus had given him as part of the evil doctor's larger plot.

"So, how's the Legion faring?" Levins asked Dillon, as he took a drink of coffee.

"There's been a lot of grumbling," Dillon frowned. "People are getting angry about the way Doctor Octopus has been treating them. He acts like the rest of us are just tools for whatever it is he's planning to accomplish."

"That's not what the Tomorrow Legion was meant for!" Levins spat, his anger rising. "The leader's job is to coordinate the activities of the other villains for greater profit and effect, not give them blunt orders! Octopus should be listening to what the other villains are saying, incorporating their ideas into his plans!"

"Try telling _him _that," Dillon shook his head. "The only thing bigger than Octopus's intelligence is his ego. He was like that when he ran the Sinister Six, too."

"How could you stomach dealing with him?" Levins asked curiously.

"All any of us really cared about was killing Spider-Man," Electro replied, "and we all figured that Octopus was the guy who could come up with the best plan to do it. Besides that, he paid really well-and for the money we were making then, it was more than worth the price. We knew we were just there to help Octopus out, and it didn't bug us. But now…"

"Doctor Octopus seems to think he's leading the Masters of Evil," Levins scowled, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his chin. "He seems to have forgotten that I specifically mentioned that, if the members of the Legion didn't like what the leader was doing, they could simply abandon them."

"It's looking like they might just do that," Dillon pointed out.

Levins didn't reply, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and staring at the ceiling, pondering the consequences of Octopus's arrogance.

* * *

A wide smile crossed J. Jonah Jameson's face as he looked over the reader feedback he'd gotten from his editorials attacking the people who'd been attacking Steven Mark Levins' relatives in retaliation for the loved ones the pumpkin-headed lunatic had killed. He'd received almost 2,500 replies of one type or another, whether e-mails, comments on the _Daily Bugle _website, snail mail letters or phone calls, and the majority of them had viciously attacked him. Not that Jameson cared-he'd been called worse things by better people many times before.

Lighting up a fresh cigar, Jameson opened his word-processing program and prepared to write a follow-up editorial replying to the feedback he'd received. While the fires had begun to be directed at him rather than Kitty, he knew that he hadn't succeeded in fully shifting their wrath away from her and onto him, what with that attempted knifing she'd nearly suffered last week.

An angry rage welled up inside Jameson as he thought of what that poor girl had been going through the last several weeks, ever since the _Daily Globe, _that rag that could barely be called a tabloid, had publicly revealed her as a mutant. It reminded him of the lynchings black people had faced in the Deep South, the horrors inflicted on the Jews in the Holocaust, the beatings inflicted on gay and transgendered people, the harassment and the hate directed at American Muslims.

_Terrorists are openly walking in the streets these days. They pose a threat to our way of life, their evil undermines the freedoms our forefathers shed blood to protect, and their evil poisons our community. _

_You want to know who those terrorists are? _

_Try looking in the mirror. _

_The terrorists I'm talking about are the people who hate and attack mutants, who make their lives miserable because of something they can't control. The people who support monsters like the Friends of Humanity and the bombings and the murders they've committed. The people who give mutants a reason to believe in people like Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. _

_Kitty Pryde's just the most recent example. If you're one of the people who's harassed her family, you're just as much of a terrorist as anyone in HYDRA or the Secret Empire. _

The editorial continued in that vein, and Jameson smiled as he realized that he'd just poured a nice tank of gasoline on the anger that was already directed at him over his previous comments regarding Kitty.

_Let the games begin, _Jameson chuckled, puffing away contentedly at his cigar.

* * *

"I'm so sorry I haven't been in to visit you lately, Tarot," Mary Jane apologized to Marie-Ange Colbert, also known as Tarot, as they spoke during visiting hours at the Raft. "I've just had so much going on…"

"It's okay," Tarot nodded. "I understand."

"How are things going otherwise?" Mary Jane asked.

"Good enough, considering," Tarot smiled somewhat ruefully. "It gets lonely in here, though."

"Lonely?" Mary Jane asked.

"You're the only one besides my parents who even comes to visit me anymore," Tarot explained. "All the other inmates in here…well…it's hard to really connect with them."

"I thought you said you were doing readings for them," Mary Jane scratched her head.

"Yeah, but half the time they don't believe me," Tarot replied. "The other half of the time, they treat me more like a mascot than a human being. It doesn't help that I'm a mutant," she finished bitterly. "They protect me from the bigots in here, but that's all they do. And then there are the supervillains."

"Supervillains?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"When I was first brought here, they put me in the Raft, the supervillains' wing," Tarot told her. "Most of them are sick, Mary Jane-all they do is brag to each other about the things they've done, or rant about how they're going to get revenge on Moon Knight or Sleepwalker. Some of Spider-Woman's enemies were interested in me at first, and then they just got angry when they found out that I didn't care about getting revenge on her. That's why I was transferred to the women's wing with the non-powered female prisoners."

"For your own safety," Mary Jane breathed. "Oh God, Tarot…I'm so sorry…"

"What for?" she asked bitterly. "You weren't responsible for my parents wrecking their lives, or for Felicia and Sally treating me like garbage. It's not your fault I'm a mutant."

"And it's not your fault, either," Mary Jane replied.

"What?" Tarot asked in surprise.

"Have you heard about what's been going on with my friend Kitty?" Mary Jane asked, before explaining about the _Daily Globe _and Kitty's being outed as a mutant. "I know how it must sound, but we know what you're going through. Some of it, at least."

Tarot didn't reply, and her expression seemed to project both appreciation and derision.

"My family life wasn't exactly the best, what with the way my Dad used my Mom as a punching bag," Mary Jane explained. "And as for Kitty, she nearly got stabbed last week."

"Your parents didn't get along either?" Tarot blinked in surprise.

"No," Mary Jane shook her head. "That's why I was always such a bitch in high school and when I started college. I know it might sound strange, coming from me, but I understand why you've felt the way you have. Really, I do…"

Tarot stared at Mary Jane and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"…Looks like the tarot reading we had was even more accurate than I thought," Tarot said, more to herself than Mary Jane.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked.

"Don't you remember the tarot reading I gave you the last time you were here?" Tarot asked.

"…Yeah, I do," Mary Jane nodded, as the memory came back to her. "How was it more accurate than you thought?

"Never mind," Tarot shook her head. "Do you also remember how, last time, you said you believed in me?"

"Yeah..." Mary Jane blinked.

"Do you still feel that way?" Tarot asked.

"Of course I do," Mary Jane said in surprise.

"I still feel that way about you, too," Tarot replied, "and about Kitty too. Tell her, for what it's worth, that she's got at least one fellow mutant who knows what she's going through, and who knows she'll pull through this."

* * *

Donald Gill's snow-white skin and hair, ice blue eyes and the power-restraining manacles around his wrists marked him as a super-powered criminal, as did the fact that he was on the prisoner's side of the visitor's divide. Although he'd been in and out of juvenile hall and adult prison all his life, as had just about every member of his extended family, Donald stood out from the rest of the infamous Gill clan by gaining superhuman powers and becoming a costumed villain. Known by the codename of Blizzard, Gill had committed all of one armored car robbery before he'd been defeated by Spider-Woman and sent back to prison. While he'd been released, brainwashed and forcibly conscripted into the supervillain army of the nightmarish freak that called itself Psyko, Blizzard had subsequently been freed of Psyko's control by Spider-Woman and later helped her save a number of people from the supervillain riots, before returning to jail.

Donald had been surprised to hear that Tarot had also been captured by Spider-Woman. From what he'd seen, most of Spider-Woman's rogues' gallery didn't get any visitors in prison, and in any event they weren't very sociable anyway. But now, overhearing the conversation between Tarot and her hot visitor, Donald couldn't help but feel bad for the poor girl.

Fortunately, his family members hadn't shown up for their regularly scheduled visit-chances are they'd all been arrested themselves after that grocery store robbery they'd been planning for the last two weeks-and when Tarot called for the guard and went back to her cell, Donald called for his own guard and went back at the same time.

"Didn't know you were one of Spider-Woman's enemies," Donald smiled at her as he followed a few feet behind.

"I'm not," Tarot muttered, not looking back at him. "I don't give a damn about Spider-Woman. If I never see her again, that's fine by me."

"You're the first person who's fought Spider-Woman who's ever said that," Donald pointed out.

That made Tarot stop in her tracks.

"What do you mean?" she asked, as she waited for Donald and his guard to catch up.

"My supervillain name was Blizzard, and I was actually the first villain Spider-Woman ever fought," Donald grinned proudly. "But aside from you, I'm probably the only one who doesn't hold a grudge against her. Firebrand, Supercharger, Will o' the Wisp, Polestar, Jack O'Lantern…there's just no talking to those guys. Either they hate Spider-Woman for wrecking whatever they had planned, or they swear that they'll kill her if they ever run into her again. Did they ever try to approach you?"

"That's why I ended up transferred into Riker's ladies wing, even though I've got powers," Tarot explained.

"Harsh," Donald said sadly. "How long are you in for?"

"Probably the rest of my life," Tarot frowned. "I committed multiple counts of felony kidnapping and attempted murder."

"Ouch," Donald frowned sympathetically. "Did you have any other plans while you were in here?"

"Like what?" Tarot demanded, an edge in her voice. "I just told you, I'm going to be stuck in here for the rest of my life."

"Yeah, but the thing with most costumed supervillains is that they plan," Donald explained. "Whenever they're in here, they spent a lot of their time planning their revenge on whichever hero captured them in the first place. Either that, or they're planning jailbreaks or their next evil schemes. The prison shrinks try to rehabilitate them, but it almost never works-most of us are lost causes. It's kind of sad, really-all that talent is completely, utterly wasted."

"So what about you, then?" Tarot blinked in surprise. "You're a supervillain too."

"Yeah, but I know that I'm a bum who'll never amount to anything," Donald explained. "We Gills actually _like _being in jail. The more times you've been arrested, and the more times you've broken your parole, the more the rest of the family admires you. We're not exactly Nobel Prize material, you know."

"…Huh," Tarot frowned.

"My family and I know we're a pack of losers, and we accept that," Donald continued, "but it doesn't mean that you have to. And you don't have to get caught in the same rut as the rest of the idiots in here, either-they're wasting their lives and their talents trying to get revenge on the heroes who locked them up. It's up to you what you do in here."

Tarot pondered on that, as they arrived at the main cell block and the guards separated them to return to their individual cells.

She recalled one of her previous visits with Mary Jane…

"_There's a lot more to you than there appears," Tarot reflected. "There's so much you keep hidden from the world…but it complements what you do show to them. It comes out in different ways at different times, but it's all part of the same whole, as the different parts reflect and complement one another." _

_Mary Jane just sat there in mild astonishment, as Tarot gathered up her cards and looked back at Mary Jane with a new respect. _

_"…I don't know what to say," Mary Jane finally said after a few moments. _

_"And here I used to think you were just another flighty snob, like Felicia Hardy," Tarot mused. "Shows how much I knew." _

_"Well…thanks," Mary Jane replied, not sure what else to say. _

_"It's my pleasure," Tarot replied. "And for what it's worth, Mary Jane…I believe in you too." _

_Mary Jane only replied with an encouraging smile, a thumbs-up and a wink._

Mary Jane could have chosen to just leave her to rot, but she didn't.

_Donald was right, _Tarot realized as she thought on that. _This is my choice to make. _

* * *

Mary Jane took a deep breath as she stepped into the office building where Kingsley Cosmetics had its main New York office. She was dressed in a conservative but very classy tan brown pantsuit, accented with a short fawn-colored scarf that accented the rest of her clothes and matched nicely with her fire-red hair. Not only would she look professional in dealing with Roderick Kingsley, but her modest attire wouldn't give him much to look at and would probably keep his leering to a minimum.

She didn't have much trouble finding Kingsley Cosmetics' offices on the 29th floor of the building, nor did she have any problems getting into the office. She was punctually on time for her appointment, and was immediately shown into Kingsley's office, where the man himself was eagerly waiting.

The first thing Mary Jane noticed was the flash of disappointment in Kingsley's eyes when he saw what she was wearing. He hastily blinked to regain his composure and shook Mary Jane's hand warmly as she sat down. She merely smiled in welcome, doing her level best to keep her nervous tension from showing.

"I'm so glad you agreed to this meeting, Mary Jane," Kingsley smiled winningly. "I doubt I'm exaggerating when I say that your pictures were one of the main reasons that our Red Lavender campaign was such a hit. Now, with Satin Angel, we're ready to take it to the next level. You're going to love our campaign, believe me!"

"What did you have in mind?" Mary Jane asked, making sure to keep her voice even and level.

"Angels in satin," Kingsley chuckled. "I know, I know, it sounds so obvious, but most of the other cosmetics ads these days are just plugs by celebrities like Taylor Swift or Ellen Degeneres. Here, we're going back to inspiring a reaction in viewers with interesting characters, sort of like those 'I'm a Mac, I'm a PC' ads that Apple has going on right now. You'd be playing the role of the angel who provides the blessings of Satin Angel to the women who are looking for light in their lives."

"It sounds interesting, but how many commercials would there be?" Mary Jane asked. "I still have a lot to do with school, and midterm exams are coming up, too."

"But it's only the start of October," Kingsley blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, but they're in less than two weeks," Mary Jane shrugged sadly. "I really need to study for them."

"Don't worry, it's not a problem," Kingsley assured her. "Besides, we'd need a week or two to formalize the contract anyway. We're thinking of about two or three ads at the start, and then having them air for the next several weeks. We'd be filming another couple of ads in December as a reminder for the Christmas shopping season, too. So, what do you think?"

"I'd need to check out the contract details and the shooting schedule, but it looks pretty good," Mary Jane replied, forcing herself to smile.

"Great!" Kingsley said brightly. "I'm so glad you agreed to do this, Mary Jane-here's a little token of thanks," he finished, pushing an envelope over to her.

Opening it up, Mary Jane saw to her surprise that it contained an advance check from Kingsley Cosmetics, one that would more than cover the back tuition she still owed that would allow her to stay in school.

"…Thank you, Mr. Kingsley," she made sure to smile, as she put the check back in the envelope and put both of them in her pocket.

"It's my pleasure, Mary Jane," Kingsley smiled back, his grin taking on that crocodilian look that had made Mary Jane's skin crawl the first time she'd seen it.

They went over the details of the commercials, and by the time Mary Jane left she was deeply torn over the situation, although she was very careful not to show it.

On the one hand, the money she'd be getting from these commercials would be a huge help, and it would be a major boost for her career.

On the other hand, she'd seen that light appearing in his eyes again the more that it seemed like she was going to agree to appear in the commercials.

_I need the money, _Mary Jane reminded herself. _I need the money, I need the money, I need the money…_

She kept mentally chanting it to herself as she boarded the subway to return home for the afternoon.

* * *

That evening, Mary Jane got another call on her phone as she was doing her homework. At first inclined to ignore it, being too wrapped up in reviewing her notes from Dr. Connors' Biology class, but then the call display showed that it was from Derrick Deja, her director in the successful production of _The Wiz _that she'd starred in last summer.

"Hi, Mr. Deja!" Mary Jane replied brightly, surprised and pleased to hear from him. "What's up?"

_"Not a whole lot," _Derrick replied. _"I've been taking a bit of a break from directing for now and focusing on my radio show," _he explained, referring to _Better In The Dark, _the entertainment talk show that he hosted with his broadcast partner Tom Ferguson on radio station HABQ-FM. _"Don't get me wrong, directing is fun, but I've just been so busy these last few months…" _

"Welcome to my world," Mary Jane grinned. "How come you're calling? Were you looking for Randy, or something?"

_"No, I was looking for you, actually," _Derrick corrected her. _"You a fan of _Les Miserables?_" _he asked.

"If you're talking about the book, then no, but if you're talking about the musical, then absolutely!" Mary Jane enthused. "It's one of my all-time favorites! Colm Wilkinson, Lea Salonga-"

_"They're preparing a new Broadway run," _Derrick interrupted her, "_and they're going to be making a casting call in a couple of weeks. I figured you'd be interested in auditioning." _

"Would I!" Mary Jane exclaimed. "I mean, it's one of my all-time favorite shows!"

_"I know one of the producers, so I might be able to get you an inside track," _Derrick replied. _"What part would you be interested in playing?" _

"I've always loved Eponine," Mary Jane replied. "Lea Salonga was absolutely fantastic in the 10th Anniversary performance."

_"Yeah, that's one of the best female roles," _Derrick agreed. _"They're still getting a lot of the funding together over the next couple of weeks, so you probably shouldn't have to worry about it getting in the way of studying for midterms. The pay's pretty good, too." _

"Oh, Mr. Deja, you don't know how happy I am to hear about this," Mary Jane replied gratefully. "Is there any way I can repay you?"

_"Hey, I'm the one paying you back for acing the role of Dorothy in _The Wiz,_" _Derrick chuckled. _"You were half the reason we were such a hit to begin with!" _

"That means a lot to me, Mr. Deja," Mary Jane said warmly. "Again, thanks a lot!"

_"No problem, sweetie," _Derrick assured her. _"You take care now, alright?" _

"You too," Mary Jane replied. "Bye now!"

As she hung up her phone, Mary Jane paused for a moment to bask in how well things were going right now.

Mom was all better, she would be able to pay off her back tuition, and she'd have both a major ad campaign and a Broadway production of Les Miz on her resume.

Grinning widely, Mary Jane set back to her homework with a renewed sparkle in her eyes.

* * *

Bruce McFarlane, nicknamed "Kong" for his massive frame and hairy, ape-like face, glared at the people who threw the occasional catcall and insult at Kitty as they walked home from school the next day. Fortunately, he'd noticed that Kitty had been getting a lot less attention over the last few days, ever since J. Jonah Jameson had published another inflammatory editorial in the _Daily Bugle _that compared the people harassing her to radical terrorists. Most of the public wrath that would normally have been directed at Kitty had since been shifted to the _Daily Bugle, _as anti-mutant hate sites and message boards were flooded with rage against Jameson. That suited Kitty and Kong just fine, given how much they preferred being left alone.

They were less than ten minutes away from Kitty's apartment building when they heard the voice.

"How does it feel?" they heard a mocking voice ring out behind them. Turning around, they saw a strange sight leaning against a lamppost. A tall, muscled man in shiny steel body armor scowled at them, his eyes shining with a strange light. His dark moustache and beard were scruffy and untrimmed, and he trembled with a restrained but almost palpable sense of anger.

"What , are you talking to us?" Kong demanded.

"How does it feel?" the armored man continued, staring directly at Kitty. "You saw their hate! You saw that they wanted to kill you! You saw that they wanted to lock you up and make you a prisoner, just because of who you are!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kong demanded, stepping into a fighting stance.

"Even when people like J. Jonah Jameson try to defend you, they end up being hated by the rest of humanity," the armored man kept talking, his voice rising into a frenzy. "And the hatred won't stop-once they deal with Jameson, they'll come back to you! They won't rest until you're dead!"

"Okay asshole, that's it!" Kong shouted, charging towards the armored man as he saw how increasingly alarmed Kitty was getting. "It's fucking showtime!"

As if noticing him for the first time, the armored man turned towards Kong and raised his arm. The ground between them erupted in a violent, cracking wave that smashed into Kong and sent him flying backwards to land on the pavement. The big man struggled to get up, but the man gestured again and the waves of earth and concrete struck him from every angle, finally leaving him bloodied and unconscious.

"KONG!" Kitty screamed in horror, as she ran towards her boyfriend. Kneeling down, she cradled Kong's badly bruised head in her arms and tried to revive him as the armored man stepped forward.

"Who the hell are you?" Kitty demanded. "Just take our damn money!" she continued, making to throw her purse to the armored man.

"You don't remember me?" the armored man asked in surprise. "My name is Avalanche…oh, you do remember me!" he continued as he saw Kitty pale.

Kitty remembered Avalanche, all right. He was the one who had tried to recruit her to join the Acolytes of Magneto, raving about how her "true heritage" as a mutant had made her one of the "rightful heirs" to the planet. The crazed look in his eyes and the manic edge in his voice had scared her off, and she'd flatly refused his offer to join the Acolytes. She hadn't heard from him after that, until the mutant terrorist group that called itself the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants had kidnapped several of Mary Jane's loved ones. Evidently, after he'd tried to make her a fellow Acolyte Avalanche had later joined the Brotherhood…and Kitty realized he must have fit right in.

"What do you want?" she demanded, real fear in her voice now.

"To remind you of who you are," Avalanche said coldly. "To remind you of who I am. You're betraying your own people, Kitty-you live in the humans' world, you let them tell you what to do, you let them have all the power! You're wasting your gifts, and for what? To let humans spit on you and call you a monster?"

"I don't give a damn what you think!" Kitty shouted back, her hackles rising now. "I just want to be left alone!"

"I offer you the chance to join the Acolytes, and this is how you repay me," Avalanche spat in disgust. "The Acolytes are a family, Kitty-we have a bond that no human could ever hope to know."

"I already have a family," Kitty spat in disgust. "I don't need Magneto, and I don't need you. You can both go to hell for all I care!"

Avalanche's eyes flared with anger, and the ground around him quaked as he prepared to crush Kitty and the unconscious Kong with it. With a frenzied gesture, he brought the earth and the concrete moving forward, screaming in rage all the while.

Kitty's heart pounded as she tried to drag the unconscious Kong away. While she might have been able to phase through the rocks, and she might even have been able to phase Kong while touching him, he was too heavy for her to move. Even if they managed to phase through the concrete, they'd be stuck…and if Kitty had to let go of Kong for any reason, he'd be crushed by the concrete.

A spray of webbing came up from behind Kitty, weaving a barrier that connected to the buildings on either side of the street. The rubble and debris piled into it and was stopped dead by the web barrier, forming a screen of concrete and asphalt that absorbed the rest of the debris as well. Looking around in surprise, Kitty saw the lithe red-and-gold clad figure of the spectacular Spider-Woman charging in and leaping over the web barrier as Avalanche shouted curses at her.

Kitty couldn't move Kong, but she refused to leave him, either. Whipping out her cell phone, Kitty frantically dialed 911 as she heard the sounds of fighting from the other side of the barrier.

* * *

"SPIDER-WOMAN?" Avalanche roared, sending another wave of debris at Spider-Woman as she rolled out of the way. "I might have known someone like you would interfere?"

"Still upset about my ruining your political stunt?" Spider-Woman scowled. She had marked Kitty with the pheromones that alerted her "spider senses" whenever someone she'd marked was in trouble or otherwise in a situation of interest to her, and had clearly arrived just in time. Rolling around Avalanche's wave of debris, she fired a pair of sting blasts from her hands that Avalanche deflected by raising a wall of earth to block them. Faster than Spider-Woman expected, Avalanche reshaped the wall into a surging wave of debris that crashed down on top of her. Her body wracked with pain from the falling pieces of concrete, Spider-Woman was unable to break free as Avalanche sent the pile of debris surrounding her surging forward. They crashed into another wall of asphalt that Avalanche raised behind Spider-Woman, causing her to shout in pain.

"I swear to Magneto, you'll pay!" Avalanche shouted, as Spider-Woman finally broke free of the asphalt and staggered to her feet. "You're just as bad as the X-Men!" Spider-Woman sprang into the air and spun a webline, intending to attack Avalanche with a swing kick, but the earthmoving mutant focused his vibrating powers on the webline itself and shook it so violently that Spider-Woman lost her grip on it. Falling towards the ground, she tried to spin another webline but was caught by a high-riding wave of debris that slammed her head on. Stunned from the impact, the wave reshaped itself into a jagged slide that Spider-Woman slid down. Bleeding in several places from the pointed edges of the broken concrete, Spider-Woman staggered to her feet once again as Avalanche laughed triumphantly.

"And to think, you actually managed to defeat Spiral!" Avalanche laughed mockingly. "Suffice to say that I'm not impressed!"

Spider-Woman didn't reply, merely shooting twin streams of webbing from her hands at Avalanche. The earthmoving mutant easily deflected them with his vibratory powers so the webbing flew wide and stuck to the debris on either side of him, just as Spider-Woman expected. Grinning wickedly, she brought her arms together, pulling the debris down on top of Avalanche and catching him completely off guard. Avalanche shifted his vibrations to free himself from the debris, but he left himself wide open to Spider-Woman striking him with her sting blasts.

The first blast staggered Avalanche, and the second one knocked him flat on his back. As he struggled to get up, Spider-Woman charged forward and blasted him a third time, this time causing him to fall flat on his face. Realizing that her blasts weren't hurting him very much due to his body armor, Spider-Woman lashed out at Avalanche and caught him in the jaw with a vicious right hook. Dizzy from the blow, Avalanche couldn't stop Spider-Woman from spinning around on one foot and using the other to deliver a vicious kick to the chest, which sent him flying back to crash heavily into the wall of debris behind him, where he slumped into unconsciousness.

Normally, Spider-Woman would have never kicked Avalanche with her full strength, but she knew his body armor would keep him from being too critically injured. As it was, Avalanche lay slumped down at her feet, and beyond him she could see the police officers trying to pick their way over the debris.

Nodding in satisfaction, she leapt into the air and swung away on a webline, knowing both that Avalanche was probably wanted for escaping from prison and that Kitty and Kong would almost certainly be able to provide further testimony to what Avalanche did to them.

* * *

Returning to her apartment, it was only a matter of minutes before Mary Jane had changed out of her costume and back into her street clothes, and had applied enough ointment to treat her injuries and enough strategically applied makeup to hide them. It was one of the ironies that all the experience Mary Jane had gotten using makeup to hide the wounds her mother had suffered at the hands of her father had proven a godsend when she'd needed to hide her own battle wounds and keep her secret identity.

Kitty had called the apartment from the hospital where they'd taken Kong, and Mary Jane needed less than an hour to get there on the subway. When she arrived, Kong's parents were talking with the doctor and Kitty was sitting in the hallway outside Kong's hospital room.

"Oh, MJ!" Kitty leapt up and caught Mary Jane in a hug before she could react. Mary Jane did her best not to wince at the sudden pain she felt as Kitty squeezed her various bruises and sprains, but in any event she quickly forgot the pain as she saw the look of relief on Kitty's face. "I'm so glad you're here…"

"How's Kong?" Mary Jane asked in concern.

"He suffered a mild concussion, but he'll be alright," Kitty replied. "Thank God Spider-Woman came along when she did."

"Spider-Woman?" Mary Jane asked curiously. "What happened?"

Kitty relayed the story, but Mary Jane was less interested in what Kitty was saying than how she was saying it. Much of the anger and the stress she'd displayed over the past two weeks was gone, replaced with relief and serenity.

"I'm just glad Kong's alright," Mary Jane said when Kitty had finished.

"You know, when I saw Kong getting beaten by Avalanche, I realized something," Kitty realized.

"What's that?" Mary Jane asked.

"He didn't care that I was a mutant," Kitty explained. "He **never **cared that I was a mutant. To him, I was just his girlfriend."

"That's what I was trying to tell you before," Mary Jane smiled. "It doesn't matter to Kong, it doesn't matter to me, it doesn't matter to anyone who's really important to you. You want to know the only thing that matters?"

"What's that?" Kitty asked.

"That you're Kitty Pryde," Mary Jane explained, hugging her tightly once again.

_**'Cause you're everywhere to me  
And when I close my eyes it's you I see  
You're everything I know  
that makes me believe  
I'm not alone  
I'm not alone**_

-**Michelle Branch**

(_**Next Issue:**_ Things are looking up for Mary Jane in her personal life, as she begins preparing for the Satin Angel ad campaign with Kingsley Cosmetics and to audition for a part in _Les Miserables. _However, Mary Jane finds that she's confronted with a nemesis far more dangerous than any she's ever faced before-namely, the stress of midterm exams. Even that may not be the biggest of Mary Jane's problems, as Moonstone begins to put a twisted new psychological plot in motion! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #34: Moonlight Shadow!)_


	37. Moonlight Shadow

"That should cover it," the university administrator smiled at Mary Jane Watson. "All we need is one business day to process it, and the flag on your account will be lifted."

Mary Jane only smiled back in relief, glad that she had at least one thing less to worry about now. The advance money she'd gotten from Roderick Kingsley had nicely covered the tuition money she still owed because of Empire State University's hike, and she'd be able to keep attending school this year.

Leaving the administration office, Mary Jane was about to head for the library to do some more studying for next week's midterm exams, but then she remembered that she had to work tonight. That was another problem Mary Jane had to deal with, namely finding a way to get enough money so she and her roommate Kitty Pryde could pay the rent on their apartment...and along with **that **Mary Jane had to shadow Kitty as Spider-Woman to help protect her from the harassment she'd been facing after being publicly outed as a mutant by the _Daily Globe…_and she had to find time for studying in between all that.

Staying up later at night trying to study didn't help much, since she was usually so tired by the end of the day that she wasn't really in any shape to be studying and the sleep she'd been losing had slowed her down the next day…

Returning to her apartment to get changed for work, Mary Jane happened to look into the mirror and saw how pale and drained she looked.

She wasn't the least bit surprised, of course.

Dismayed at how the dark circles under her eyes contrasted with how pale she looked, and upset at the absolutely terrible job she'd done with her hair that morning because she'd still been half-asleep, sure.

But not surprised.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #34

"MOONLIGHT SHADOW"

* * *

Detective Jason Philip Macendale looked around in some disgust at the dingy apartment building as he made his way up the stairs. He wasn't the least bit surprised that the suspect lived in a shithole like this, given what a fucking idiot he was. He hadn't been very hard to trace at all-indeed, Macendale would have made this bust weeks ago if he hadn't been tied up with other cases.

Today was the big day, however, and he was eagerly looking forward to it.

Stopping in front of one apartment's door, Macendale nodded to the two officers accompanying him. As they nodded back, he began banging on the door, shouting angrily.

"Willie Stryker?" Macendale demanded, as he finished his first round of knocking. "New York Police! Open up!"

The door opened a crack, and Macendale saw half a face peeking out at him from behind it. The woman the face belonged to had seen better days, her homely middle-aged features not improved at all by the amount of cheap makeup she was wearing.

"Whaddya want?" she demanded in a surly voice.

"Detective Macendale, New York Police," Macendale replied coldly. "We have a warrant for your husband's arrest."

"He ain't here," Mrs. Stryker shot back. "I ain't seen the fat pisstank for the last three days."

"Then how come I see his jackets hanging on the peg up there?" Macendale asked, gesturing with his head to the coat stand that was visible near the door. "Everyone I talked to says that Willie loves that Mets jacket. When was the last time he went anywhere without it?"

Cursing, Mrs. Stryker frantically tried to shut and lock the door, but Macendale easily shoved his way into the filthy apartment. Mrs. Stryker took a run at him, screaming and cursing, but one of the officers accompanying Macendale easily grabbed and held onto her as Macendale and the last officer made their way into the apartment to look for Willie.

Macendale found Willie exactly where he expected, hiding behind a recliner in the bedroom. After all, there were only so many places a fat slob like him could hide in such a small apartment. He wasn't sure which of Willie's actions was stupider, his leaving his prized Mets jacket in plain sight where Macendale could see it from the hallway, or his attempting to punch Macendale in the face. Macendale took it all in stride, easily sidestepping Willie's clumsy punch and retaliating with a swift punch of his own to the back of Willie's head, dropping him in an instant.

"What's the matter, Willie?" Macendale asked, dragging Willie to his feet as the second officer put the cuffs on him and began reading him his Miranda rights. "You feel like a big man, picking on a couple of little teenage girls?"

"You don't got shit on me," Willie slurred, his breath reeking of stale beer.

"You mean besides your fingerprints on that threatening letter you sent that Kitty Pryde girl?" Macendale asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your DNA and fingerprints on the stamp and envelope that the threatening letter was sent in? The address on the envelope been written in your chicken-scratch writing? Cut-up magazines missing the letters in the threatening note, again with your fingerprints all over them, put out in your trash? Yeah, I suppose you're right-besides that, I don't have any fucking case at all!"

Willie just spat back at Macendale, who sidestepped it just as easily as he sidestepped Willie's punch. Gesturing with his head to the officer who had Willie cuffed, he led the way out of the bedroom and out of the apartment. The other two officers followed, one of them dragging Willie down the stairs while the other let Mrs. Stryker go and went downstairs first to get one of the police cruisers ready.

This case was going to be a slam dunk. William Stryker had already been convicted before on various other charges over the years, and so his DNA, fingerprints and writing samples were already in the police databases where Macendale had found them. Macendale had been forced by his superiors to put this case on the backburner-after all, mutant cases were never a high priority for the NYPD brass, despite the vigorous efforts of people like Captain George Stacy and Captain Jean DeWolff to change that. He admired Stacy's and DeWolff's efforts, although he knew they'd never get anywhere.

Leaving the two officers to stuff Willie in the back of one of the cruisers and take him to lockdown, Macendale took the other car and went off on his own, needing to make a little stop before joining the officers and Willie.

When he'd seen the threatening letter that had been put in Kitty Pryde's mailbox, the first thing that had gone through Macendale's mind was a desire to put a bullet in the brain of the son of a bitch who'd written it. Unfortunately, he couldn't do something like that without ending up in jail, and then where would he be? Not to mention how dangerous even lockdown could be-suspects could be and had been beaten to death in the NYPD holding cells, even though they hadn't gone to trial yet.

That last point was sticking in Detective Macendale's mind as he stopped at the convenience store and bought a large carton of cigarettes.

He didn't smoke himself, but cigarettes and other contraband commonly substituted for money in prisons, and the hardened felons were willing to do almost anything to get them.

* * *

Utterly worn out when she got home later that night, Mary Jane was ready to fall asleep on her feet. Entering into her apartment, she was about to go to bed when she felt her stomach grumble and realized how hungry she was.

Kitty came in the door while Mary Jane was eating her sandwich, not seeming much better off than Mary Jane. Looking at what Mary Jane was doing, Kitty only half-smiled and set about making a sandwich of her own before she sat down to join her.

"Are you doing alright now?" Mary Jane asked. "Are people still giving you grief about being a mutant?"

"Not nearly as much as they used to, believe it or not," Kitty smiled back in spite of her fatigue. "Now everybody's going after Jameson. Did you see the stuff he published in the _Bugle_?" she asked.

"Yeah, I did," Mary Jane nodded. "It was pretty strong stuff, though, wasn't it?"

"That's apparently the sort of thing Jameson specializes in," Kitty grinned. "He's always going off on some kind of tirade or another at the office."

"I'm glad to hear that, Kitty," Mary Jane smiled back. "Believe me, I really am."

"And I owe you a lot," Kitty said sincerely. "You really helped me get through this, you know?"

"Of course I do," Mary Jane nodded back.

"Yeah, and…what about you?" Kitty asked, suddenly realizing how worn out Mary Jane looked. "You…you look half-dead," she fumbled, embarrassed that she hadn't noticed it before now.

"Glad you like it," Mary Jane replied sarcastically, not thrilled with being reminded of how she looked at the moment. "I'm going for kind of a _Corpse Bride _look-do you think I pulled it off?" she snapped.

"I'm sorry, MJ," Kitty apologized, mentally kicking herself for her stupidity. "Is there anything I could do to help you?"

"No," Mary Jane sighed. "I'm just…work, school, money, exams...I'm not getting enough sleep lately…"

"That's not all there is to it," Kitty warned her. "You're burning the candle at both ends again, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Kenny told me about it," Kitty explained, referring to Kenny Anderson, an artist friend of theirs that Mary Jane had modeled for in one of his art projects. "Is your mom still having problems?"

"No, she's fine," Mary Jane shook her head. "It's just that I've been trying to keep up with my studies while trying to work more hours at the coffee shop and get some more modeling work with Roderick Kingsley because those idiots at the bank messed up my tuition and we need the money if we're going to keep the apartment while trying to find time to-" she babbled, trying to keep her thoughts straight and cursing herself for nearly revealing that she was still trying to find time to look after Kitty as Spider-Woman.

"MJ, listen to yourself," Kitty interrupted her. "You can't go on like this!"

"But I need the money," Mary Jane protested. "_We _need it, or Mrs. Muggins is going to kick us out! And I've got to study-you know we've got midterms next week! What do you want me to do, flunk out of school?"

"Who cares if we can't make the rent?" Kitty shot back. "We'll just find somewhere else we can live, or I'll pay a bigger share of it. Come on Mary Jane, you're pushing yourself way too hard."

"But I can't just leave you hanging!" Mary Jane protested again.

"Who said you were?" Kitty shrugged. "Come on, MJ-you owe it to yourself to take a break."

"I'm just trying to…doing my best…" Mary Jane breathed, tears forming in her eyes.

Kitty got up and came over, leading an exhausted Mary Jane over to the couch where they sat down, Kitty holding Mary Jane tightly.

* * *

Mary Jane felt better that Saturday morning, not having to go to school or work, although she'd still headed out to the initial audition for the new production of _Les Miserables_. Despite Kitty's protests, Mary Jane had insisted on it, pointing out that they were barely getting by as it was and they needed all they help they could get. She remembered everything Kenny had told her, and she knew Kitty was worried about her…

…but the last thing Mary Jane wanted was to have her conscience nagging at her for not doing as much as she could to help, or for leaving Kitty to pay a bigger share of the rent.

So it was that she found herself at the Blackfriars Theatre along with a number of other aspiring actors, who were all eagerly warming up their voices or reciting their lines. Looking around, Mary Jane allowed herself a small smile-she was in her element when she was onstage, the place where her star could shine brightest.

"You're trying a homeless look now, Watson?" a screeching, unpleasant voice broke in on Mary Jane's serenity. Her smile quickly turning to a frown, Mary Jane turned and saw the distinctly unwelcome face of Felicia Hardy. Felicia's glittering eyes, wicked smile and long platinum-blonde hair were the same as they always were, but now she sported a deep tan that Mary Jane suspected was due more to it being sprayed on rather than naturally developed by the sun.

"I mean, that look's bad even for you!" Felicia continued.

"Says the girl who always acts like a house landed on her sister," Mary Jane shot back. "Come on, Felicia-is this how low you've sunk? Recycling insults that you used to throw at Brigid O'Reilly?"

Felicia scowled at that, as Mary Jane turned and walked away, pointedly doing her best to ignore Felicia's next insult.

Although Felicia might have mocked her for her harried, exhausted appearance, as she performed her rendition of _On My Own _to the casting director, Mary Jane knew that the way she looked had gone a long way to winning the casting director over. The haunted look in Mary Jane's eyes, the sad expression on her face and the pained tone in her voice as she sang all meshed perfectly with Eponine's pining for Marius and the realization that he might never truly love her in return. Many of the rest of the actors auditioning for roles seemed entranced by Mary Jane's singing, and the ones that didn't looked sympathetic at her plight.

For all her problems, Mary Jane felt a tremendous sense of satisfaction from that.

The sole exception was Felicia Hardy, whose face reddened with envy and anger.

Mary Jane felt a second sense of satisfaction at that.

* * *

Reviewing the scripts for the first set of commercials for his new Satin Angel fragrance line, Roderick Kingsley could only smile with pleasure. He'd recruited the stunning Mary Jane Watson to star in them, and he knew that she'd do a fantastic job. She'd already impressed him with her natural charms and ability to captivate the viewers, radiating warm kindness, cold aloofness or sad vulnerability all at once.

Setting the scripts down on his desk and leaning back in his chair, Kingsley smiled widely as he began to daydream.

He daydreamed about Mary Jane's shapely, voluptuous figure, her stunningly bright green eyes, her long, flowing red hair, and her gorgeous, angelic face.

Kingsley had this dream a lot.

He loved every moment of it.

* * *

In the wake of the summer mob war that had destroyed two of New York City's five major crime syndicates, a new criminal cartel had risen to take its place. Organized by the murderous, psychotic Jack O' Lantern, the Tomorrow Legion was an informal organization of the city's costumed supervillains, who had agreed to work together in coordinating their crimes to maximize not only their profits but the misery and suffering they could spread. The Tomorrow Legion's first crime wave had been a tremendous success-while Jack O' Lantern himself had been defeated by Spider-Woman, many of the rest of the supervillains he'd dispatched on simultaneous crime sprees had accomplished what they'd been sent out to do. They'd gained both major profits and major pleasure, and the Tomorrow Legion had become an institution among New York's supervillain population.

After Jack O' Lantern's defeat and imprisonment, the remaining villains who'd joined the Legion had gathered to elect a new leader, as Jack had originally outlined to them in his original proposal for the Legion. They'd chosen Doctor Octopus, one of the most notorious supervillains not only in New York but the entire country, as their new leader.

The dirty community centre on Yancy Street looked abandoned on the outside, but on the inside it was tastefully furnished and apportioned. Supervillain luminaries like the Sandman, Blacklash, Mr. Fear, the Beetle, the Jaguar and Roughouse were present at the Legion's headquarters tonight, enjoying a taste of the luxury they'd purchased with the blood money they'd stolen from their victims. Like the Bar With No Name, it was strictly neutral ground for all the supervillain patrons, although villains who wanted to enjoy its luxuries had to contribute towards its upkeep.

The newest arrival was a young woman dressed in golden body armor, with a silver helmet and facemask, and matching gloves and boots. Her long blonde hair fell down past her shoulders, flowing freely from an opening in the back of her helmet. Looking around at the new arrivals, she nodded and smiled at them as they smiled back, many of them already charmed by her obvious attractiveness.

The Beetle, though, recognized her immediately. Rising up from his table, he came towards the young woman and eagerly shook her hand.

"Moonstone, isn't it?" he grinned. "It's so nice to see you again. I was wondering what happened to you after your first fight with Spider-Woman!"

"I haven't been idle, I assure you," Moonstone smiled back, "but I'm ready to get back into the game. I'm still pretty new to the game, and I figured that if I joined the Tomorrow Legion, I could get some pointers from my professional colleagues," she explained. "Is Doctor Octopus around tonight?"

"Yeah, he's in the back room," the Beetle nodded. "I'll take you to meet him."

The back room was even more sumptuously decorated than the main lobby, as the new leader of the Tomorrow Legion was known for his upscale tastes. The short, chubby scientist with the thinning salt-and-pepper hair might not have seemed impressive, except for the nightmarish robotic tentacles that were attached to his body. Slithering and writhing as if they had a mind of their own, they made Doctor Octopus a dreaded opponent in combat and were one of the main reasons he'd established his formidable reputation.

"What do you want?" Doctor Octopus demanded, looking up from the reports he was studying as Moonstone and the Beetle stepped into his office. "This had better be important, for both your sakes!" he snarled, as his tentacles gathered around their master to emphasize the threat.

Moonstone hadn't missed the vague sense of anger and annoyance that was radiating from all the villains in the main bar, and she didn't miss the angry expression that crossed the Beetle's face for the briefest of moments. Although the villains had all done their best to hide it, the tension in the air was as clear as day to the experienced Moonstone. One glance was all it took for her to realize that Doctor Octopus hadn't noticed it, and she suspected that his arrogant, overbearing treatment of the other members of the Legion was what was driving it.

"I'd like to join the Legion," Moonstone explained. "I've heard about how we villains cooperate to get more profit out of it, and I want in on the action."

"Of course you do," Doctor Octopus sneered. "And what might your abilities be?"

"I can control hard light," Moonstone explained. "Cages, scything blades, bursts of energy, phasing-I can do it all, and so much more. I have the power, and I'm willing to use it."

"Those are grand claims for someone so new to the supervillain profession," Doctor Octopus frowned, looking over the top of his sunglasses at Moonstone. "You'd do well to earn your place in the Legion first, before you go boasting about the way you have."

Moonstone didn't miss the second angry scowl that crossed the Beetle's face, although Doctor Octopus clearly did. She could understand why the Beetle was so angry-from what she'd heard, the Tomorrow Legion was supposed to be a collaborative venture. The leader's responsibility wasn't to dictate the actions of the other members, but to coordinate them for maximum effect and integrate the villains' own criminal efforts into larger plans. Members were free to come and go as they chose, to recruit assistance for their individual schemes, and to openly vote for the leader…but Doctor Octopus had been treating the other members of the Legion as his underlings.

Moonstone immediately realized that the other members of the Legion were only tolerating Doctor Octopus's leadership because of his stature in the supervillain community, and because of his past success in criminal planning. Somehow, she doubted they'd tolerate it for much longer.

"There are a couple of tasks you can do for me," Doctor Octopus continued. "Successfully complete them and I may allow you to join the Legion."

"Thank you, Doctor," Moonstone smiled.

"Note that I said that I _may _let you join," Doctor Octopus reminded her bluntly. "The choice is mine and mine alone."

Another angry scowl crossed the Beetle's face, Moonstone noticed.

More fuel for the simmering fires.

* * *

Working, studying and pretending to sleep took up all of Mary Jane's time over the next several days, as midterms week began at Empire State University. By Wednesday, Mary Jane had survived three of her exams, although she didn't have any idea how well she did. Unfortunately, her two worst subjects, Biology and English, were respectively scheduled for today and tomorrow. Now, studying in the library of the Erskine Building, Mary Jane could only hope that she had prepared well enough for the exam. So far she'd done her best to keep up with the rest of the class, although she'd barely managed to keep a C-minus grade so far and was almost certainly going to fall to a D or worse if she didn't do well on the midterm. While Doctor Curt Connors had been holding a number of study sessions for the class, she simply hadn't had the time to attend many of them.

After spending the whole morning studying, Mar y Jane had needed a break and was ready to get some lunch before the exam, which was scheduled for early in the afternoon. Leaning back on the grass and looking up at the sky after she'd finished eating, Mary Jane wished that some of her friends could have joined her, but they'd all had studying or exams of their own to look after.

_Midterm week is always so lonely at ESU, _Mary Jane realized. _It's too bad that-_

Her thought was interrupted by the streak of golden light that flew overhead, heading straight for the Erskine Building. Sitting up in horror, Mary Jane saw that it smashed straight into and through the building's top floor. Lights flashed through the windows, while screams and crashes echoed on the breeze and made Mary Jane realize what was going on inside.

Looking around frantically, Mary Jane tried to hope against hope that Sleepwalker, Moon Knight, Daredevil or some other hero would come to the rescue. Her exam was in less than an hour, and she simply couldn't afford to miss it…And yet, almost without realizing it, Mary Jane had begun running for a hiding place where she would be able to leave her street clothes.

She never would have forgiven herself if she hadn't.

* * *

Moonstone pursed her lips as she searched for the device Doctor Octopus had instructed her to look for. The first laboratory she'd burst into hadn't contained anything valuable, and neither had the second or third rooms. She'd had to trap many of the people she'd encountered in pyramid-shaped cages of light to keep them from running and alerting the police, although she suspected that it wouldn't be long before she ran into trouble.

_I shouldn't have made such a flashy entrance, _Moonstone realized as she entered into a fourth laboratory. _Attacking in broad daylight like that is only going to make everyone that was on the campus outside notice me, and-_

Moonstone found what she was looking for in the fourth laboratory. Occupying a place of honor in the main display case, the "Enervator" device was said to dramatically enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of any energy source that it was connected to. Originally designed by Dr. Henry Pym, the brilliant scientist and superhero who was also leader of the Avengers, the Enervator was currently on loan to Empire State to help reduce the energy costs of some of the experiments the Physics Department was currently conducting.

From what the Beetle had told her, Moonstone knew that the Enervator was extremely time-consuming and costly to build with current technology, which precluded it being mass-produced for public use. While he might have been able to develop an Enervator himself, Doctor Octopus hadn't been able to access the Enervator's blueprints, which made him want to steal one so he could reverse-engineer it.

Moonstone was about to reach out and take it when she suddenly felt something tag her in the back and yank her off her feet. Letting out a surprised cry and landing flat on her back, Moonstone sprang to her feet and turned around to see the spectacular Spider-Woman charging in at her. Taking to the air, Moonstone fired a double blast of energy from her hands at Spider-Woman, who deflect the blasts with her own bioelectric stings and sprayed a net of webbing at her.

"Does this make us enemies, now?" Moonstone asked with a smirk, as she phased herself through Spider-Woman's webbing. "I suppose I needed to join someone's rogues' gallery," she continued, solidifying and surrounding herself with a deadly sheath of light. Charging in at Spider-Woman like a laser beam, Moonstone managed to catch the leaping Spider-Woman as she tried to dodge and smash her into the opposite wall. Spider-Woman slumped to the ground, groaning in pain, as Moonstone focused her energy blasts again. Before Moonstone could fire, Spider-Woman shot out her webbing and forced Moonstone's arms off to the side, sending her blasts flying wide. As Moonstone tried to bring her arms back to defend herself, Spider-Woman blasted her at point-blank range with her sting blasts, and charged in to pound her viciously.

Driving Spider-Woman away with a blinding flash of light, Moonstone realized that she couldn't fight here. The crossfire had already done considerable damage to the laboratory they were fighting in, and it could have easily hit the Enervator. Thinking quickly, she figured out a way to end the fight.

"Remember how I trapped all those people I kidnapped in cages of light?" Moonstone threatened, as Spider-Woman tried to attack again.

That made Spider-Woman pause.

"I think I'll kill them all now," Moonstone smiled sweetly. "Think you can save them all in time?"

"Damn you," Spider-Woman cursed, as she turned and fled the room.

_Heroes are so predictable, _Moonstone mused to herself as she retrieved the Enervator and blew a hole in the far wall to escape. _Regardless of the situation, they'll almost always let a villain escape in order to protect an innocent person. _

* * *

Spider-Woman ran determinedly through the destroyed laboratories, blasting the golden pyramid cages that Moonstone had trapped her victims in. Although she was giving Moonstone the opportunity to escape, Spider-Woman wasn't bothered by it. She had marked Moonstone with her special tracking pheromones, and she knew she'd be able to track the silver-masked villainess without any trouble.

Once she'd freed the last of the prisoners, Spider-Woman began focusing on her spider-senses to track Moonstone. She was boiling with anger, outraged not only at what Moonstone was doing but also everything she'd had to deal with the past couple of weeks. Spider-Woman wanted to vent her frustrations on someone, and Moonstone, who'd already given Kong the fright of his life by kidnapping his mother, was the perfect candidate.

It took several long, tedious minutes for Spider-Woman to catch up with Moonstone, but she eventually caught up with her near the Brooklyn Bridge. Moonstone nearly did a loop-the-loop in the air as Spider-Woman blasted her with her sting blasts, being caught completely off guard by Spider-Woman's surprise attack. Whirling around, Moonstone fired a series of blasts at Spider-Woman, who easily dodged them all. Springing into the air, Spider-Woman tried to catch Moonstone with another web net, but once again Moonstone simply phased through it. As Spider-Woman flew towards her, ready to strike, Moonstone fired a powerful and focused blast that caught her square in the chest, sending her plummeting to crash heavily on the roof of one of the last buildings before the bridge.

By the time Spider-Woman staggered to her feet, Moonstone was already a speck in the distance. Spider-Woman was about to charge after her, but then she realized how late the time was. A thrill of horror ran through her as she frantically turned around and began swinging back to Empire State University, hoping to God that she wouldn't be late for her exams.

It was while she was swinging back that Spider-Woman realized that her head was throbbing with pain. Struggling to keep focus on her webswinging, she realized that she must have suffered a concussion when she'd landed on the building roof. Remarkably, she was still able to make it to Empire State University and change back into her street clothes, and made it to the exam room less than a minute before the test began.

Unfortunately, that was when the trouble started. Exhausted from her frantic webswinging, dizzy from the concussion she'd suffered and unable to forget that she'd failed to stop Moonstone, Mary Jane found it almost impossible to concentrate on her Biology midterm, and she was barely three-quarters done when time expired. Instinctively, she knew she'd failed, and she was unable to look Doctor Connors in the eye as she handed her exam to him and left the room.

Work was even worse. Mary Jane was so tired and distracted that she could barely serve the customers' orders without spilling the coffee, much less take their orders properly. Eventually, realizing that she was in no shape to be working, Mary Jane's boss sent her home for the night.

Gratefully, Mary Jane returned home and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep without even changing out of her work uniform.

* * *

Mary Jane was even more exhausted than she thought, burnt out physically and emotionally from everything she'd gone through. Waking up the next day, at first Mary Jane felt a lot better…

…and then suddenly felt a lot worse all over again when she realized that she'd overslept for far longer than she'd expected. It was now just after noon, and Mary Jane's English midterm had been scheduled for 10 AM.

Groaning, Mary Jane slumped back down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. At first she wondered why Kitty didn't wake her up, but then she realized that Kitty was probably so wrapped up in her own work and studying that it probably didn't even occur to her.

Not that it was much consolation to Mary Jane, of course.

(_**Next Issue:**_ While trying to deal with her problems at school, Mary Jane prepares for both the audition with _Les Miserables _and the Satin Angel commercials with Kingsley Cosmetics. However, as Spider-Woman she becomes caught up in investigating a series of bizarre, deadly murders. But what do these murders have to do with Midtown High and Mary Jane's high school years? All this and more in the first _Spider-Woman Halloween Special: Mayhem!_)


	38. Mayhem!

Whatever other problems Mary Jane Watson had in her life-and she had plenty of them-there were times when she could just leave them all behind. Tonight was one of those times, as she prepared for one of the Fright Night Halloween parties that Empire State University had set up to help its students relax after the stress of midterm exams. After the debacle that had been midterm week, when Mary Jane had almost certainly failed her Biology exam because she'd tried to confront the villainous Moonstone as Spider-Woman. She'd also missed her English exam altogether, having slept the whole day away due to her exhaustion from fighting Moonstone.

Looking herself over in the mirror, Mary Jane was able to forget all that. She'd been planning her Halloween costume for months now, and she was distinctly pleased with how good she looked. Dressed in a silk top hat, a white dress shirt, a black bow tie, a black formal evening jacket, a pair of white gloves, a perfectly scandalous short black skirt, dark fishnet stockings and a pair of dark red Manolo Blahniks, the latter a birthday gift from her Grandpa Lieber, Mary Jane played the role of the formal magician to perfection. Her sparkling green eyes and long, flame-red hair made a lovely contrast with the black and white of her costume, which itself emphasized her beautiful curves, angelic face and shapely legs.

Smiling widely, Mary Jane blew her reflection a kiss as she mentally ran down her checklist.

Hollow magician's cane, in which she'd hidden her Spider-Woman costume if trouble struck at the party?

Check.

Just the right amount of eyeliner and lipstick to complement her attire?

Check.

Arrangements to meet with Kitty and the rest of the group at Oldred Hall, where the Fright Night party they'd decided to attend was being held?

Check.

The knowledge that she was going to have every guy in the place drooling over her?

Check and mate.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #1

"MAYHEM"

* * *

"Hey, MJ!" Kitty Pryde greeted Mary Jane as she got off the bus. "You look amazing tonight!"

"So do you!" Mary Jane gushed back as she hugged Kitty. Indeed, Kitty looked very nice indeed-dressed in a deliberately tattered red gown, she played a very lovely Ann Darrow in comparison to her boyfriend, Bruce "Kong" McFarlane, who had come dressed as the ape monster that gave him his nickname. Kong himself wasn't saying anything, his face hidden behind his gorilla mask, although Mary Jane could tell from the delighted look in his eyes that he was admiring both her and Kitty and was no doubt enjoying every minute.

Mary Jane just smirked at that thought, before turning back to Kitty.

"Are you guys the first ones here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kitty replied. "We're just waiting for-"

"We're not late, are we?" Liz Allan interrupted as she came up to join them, her boyfriend Harry Osborn in tow. Despite the chilly night, Liz was dressed in a flattering Middle Eastern belly dancer costume, while Harry was dressed like Blackbeard the pirate.

"No, you're right on time," Kong assured them. "We're not heading in just yet, anyway-the party won't really get started until about 8 o'clock or so."

The group fell to chatting for the next few minutes as they waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Mary Jane and Liz became so busy complimenting each other on their makeup jobs and trading cosmetics tips that they initially didn't notice the handsome young man in the forest-green tights and plumed hat come up to join them. An archery bow was strapped to his back, and a winning smile was plastered on his face.

"Hi Ben," Mary Jane greeted Ben Reilly. "You're going as Robin Hood?"

"You bet," Ben grinned back. "It's the one night of the year a non-superhero guy can get away with wearing tights. Besides, I was always a sucker for bows and arrows. I actually lettered in archery in high school."

"Really?" Mary Jane blinked in surprise.

"Yeah," Ben replied. "I lost interest after I graduated, though…hey Randy!" Ben greeted the last member of their group as he finally arrived. Much to everyone's surprise, Randy Robertson wore what looked like his ordinary street clothes, although his thick black hair was gone and his skin gleamed with an unnatural silver sheen.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Luke Cage, Hero for Hire," Randy smiled. "What do you think?"

"You look great," Mary Jane replied, "but what happened to your hair? And why's your skin so shiny?"

"It's just a head covering to make it look like I shaved my head," Randy explained, "and the silver sheen is just this new type of makeup. I did it because it's what Cage's skin actually looks like. His powers make his skin harder than steel, and it ended up shining silver as a side effect."

"Okay, so what the hell are we all standing out here for?" Harry interrupted everyone loudly just as Mary Jane was about to say something else.

"It's party time!" he continued.

* * *

Fright Night was as delightfully freaky as Mary Jane had hoped. Witches and skeletons danced and drank side by side with schoolgirls and cartoon characters, eager to forget the stresses of school for one night. The DJ's musical selections masterfully set the tone and the mood on the dance floor, playing creepy or uptempo dance music to stir peoples' emotions and get their blood moving, before playing slower romantic songs that allowed them to find comfort in each others' arms.

Mary Jane was having an absolutely wonderful time. Aside from being on stage, being at a large party was when she had the easiest time forgetting her troubles and could simply enjoy life. Aside from the general sense of pleasure she got from the boys' admiring stares and the jealousy of many of the other girls, she greatly enjoyed the slow dances she shared with Ben and Randy, not to mention many of the other guys who had asked her to do so. She was glad her jacket had deep pockets, as she'd needed them to hold the phone numbers several of the guys had given her. In between all her work, her studies and her crimefighting career as Spider-Woman, Mary Jane hadn't been able to otherwise cultivate as much of a social life as she would have liked, and she eagerly seized the opportunity to expand it now.

What was more, she saw at least three other female partygoers dressed as Spider-Woman. On talking to them, Mary Jane learned that the other girls admired her heroic alter ego for proving that women could do just as well as superheroes as any man, particularly when so much of her rogues gallery was itself male. Although she did well to hide it, Mary Jane found it to be extremely gratifying.

Although she was genuinely enjoying herself, Mary Jane's thoughts kept going back to Randy, Ben and Mark Raxton. If she was ever going to hook up with anyone, it had to be one of them, particularly since they'd all treated her like a princess whenever she'd dated them. The problem was, though, that she'd come to feel a strong connection to all of them, and she felt bad letting any of them down-

"May I have the next dance?" a familiar voice broke in on her thoughts. Turning around, her face lit up again as she saw Mark Raxton dressed in what looked like a Power Ranger costume. Mary Jane didn't really know much about any of that stuff, but she had to admit that the costume showed off Mark's athletic, toned physique very well, and accented his reddish-brown hair and eyes quite nicely.

"You like what you see?" Mark asked her with a wide smile.

"I sure do," Mary Jane replied. "And how about you?"

"…Do I ever," Mark finally said after a moment. "And now, about my request?"

As a response, Mary Jane grabbed him and pulled him in, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Once the song finished, they headed for the bar to get some drinks. On the way there, they ran into a distinctly unwelcome sight-Felicia Hardy dressed as a cat and surrounded by Sally Avril and the rest of her friends.

"Just one guy tonight, Watson?" Felicia smirked arrogantly, as the rest of her coterie tittered. "That's pathetic, even for you."

"...Tell me again why I'm supposed to care what you think?" Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "Why do you even waste your time pulling this crap, Felicia?"

"Because it's fun," Felicia shot back, "and because I can."

"You haven't changed at all since high school," Mary Jane shook her head in disgust. "Tearing people down to try and make you feel better about yourself. Is that what it's all about, Felicia? Stealing other girls' boyfriends? Making them feel like garbage? Making them think you liked them, and then tearing them down again? All that just so you could feel like the queen bee? Am I in the ballpark, or what?"

Felicia listened in silence, an angry flush of pink coloring her cheeks.

"As if you're any better, Watson," Felicia hissed.

"I wasn't, for a long time," Mary Jane shot back. "But I actually listened to the people who told me what a bitch I was being. I'm not perfect, maybe I never will be. But I'm still better than you'll ever be…and there's nothing you can do that'll ever change that."

Felicia's eyes flared angrily, and when she spoke her voice was calm, tight and dripping with hatred.

"You just keep telling yourself that, Watson," Felicia said coldly. "Keep telling yourself that when I'm living the life you could only dream of, and you're still stuck in that same rundown apartment, thinking that someday you're going to be famous. Maybe, just maybe, you'll actually start to believe it."

"Is that what you told Brigid O'Reilly?" Mary Jane snapped, before turning away from Felicia before she could answer. She did her best to stay calm, but she couldn't help trembling in anger.

"What was that all about?" Mark asked her gently as they continued to the bar.

"Felicia was my rival in high school," Mary Jane explained. "Suffice to say that she really pushes my buttons. I've tried to stay away from her, but sometimes…oh, God…" she sighed.

"Who's this Brigid O'Reilly person you mentioned?" Mark wondered.

"Brigid was another student at Midtown High who was in the same grade as us," Mary Jane explained. "She came from a broken home, and it made her really awkward. She tried to make friends, but it was hard for her. Felicia made her life hell, before she pretended to actually feel bad about it and claimed to want to be friends with her. Brigid bought it, and then Felicia humiliated her in public over it."

"Jesus," Mark breathed in disgust.

"That wasn't the half of it," Mary Jane continued. "After that, Felicia claimed that she really felt bad about it this time, and wanted to make it up to her. She invited Brigid to start hanging out with her clique again, and Brigid accepted."

"Why would Brigid fall for it again?" Mark blinked in surprise.

"She was probably for any kind of attention at all," Mary Jane sighed. "No one ever tried to help her-I know I sure didn't. I should have, but that's who I was in high school. Anyway, she started hanging out with Felicia's clique, and then she just…disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Mark asked incredulously.

"She just stopped coming to school," Mary Jane explained. "A lot of people figured she dropped out, or maybe she ran away from home. Her parents didn't know what happened to her, either-but then her father was a junkie and her mother was always in prison. No one really thought much of it at the time."

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," Mark tried to cheer her up.

"I should have done something, at least," Mary Jane pointed out.

"Maybe you didn't, but at least you're trying to make up for it now," Mark reminded her. "Come on, let me see that smile-you're too pretty to be frowning like that at a party!"

It didn't take Mary Jane long to fulfill Mark's request, pecking him on the cheek as they reached the bar.

* * *

Danny Mallows only laughed as he stumbled off the bus, barely able to stand up straight after all the booze he'd drunk. It was only a few blocks to his dorm, although he seriously wondered if he'd be able to make it all the way. He'd had an awesome time at Fright Night with the rest of Felicia's clique, and he knew that she'd especially appreciated her private interludes with him. That was what was so good about Felicia, namely that she got better every single time he did it with her. She'd been like that ever since high school…

Jolted from his reverie by a sudden burst of cold, Danny wrapped his jacket around himself and muttered under his breath. Looking around, he saw to his surprise that the street was deserted. Then again, he was pretty late getting home, so most of the other kids were probably already in bed…

Looking up at the sky, Danny realized just how dark it was, even for the end of October. The clouds were thick in the sky, suffusing the lights of the streetlamps and buildings with an eerie glow. He made an effort to pick up the pace, seeing that a fog was starting to waft in, and soon he'd have trouble seeing at all. To make matters worse, it was getting even colder outside, and Danny soon found himself shivering.

He picked up the pace, as much to keep himself warm as to get home before the fog and the cold rolled in completely. Unfortunately, he found that he was already too late-the fog was growing in thick around him, making his surroundings fade into a hazy, dreamlike background. The lights still shone through, but now they were indistinct and blurry, to the point where Danny was no longer sure if he was awake or if he'd fallen into a dreamy sleep.

Yeah, that was it. He'd gotten home, fallen asleep on the couch, and now he was having a screwed-up dream. He should probably cut back on the blow…

…Except that he realized this was no dream.

The fog shifted in and out, as the lights blinked on and off. Danny wasn't even sure if he was running or even walking anymore, or if he'd been frozen altogether. Nothing seemed to make any sense, until the fog seemed to thicken and waft towards him.

And then, as the fog entered his body, Danny saw the truth.

He saw it all too clearly.

"Jesus Christ!" he gasped in horror, as the fear and horror of recognition swept through him. "No…this isn't possible…you can't be…you're dead…**DEAD!**"

Danny Mallows' screams caught the attention of several passersby who were leaving a nearby bar. When they heard the cries, they ran over to see what was happening, but by the time they arrived they saw only Danny's freshly dead corpse, lying in the middle of the sidewalk on a cold and clear moonlit night.

Neither the passersby, nor the police who they called, could tell what happened to Danny.

However, none of them would ever forget the look of pure terror they saw on his face, an expression that showed its owner had seen his death coming and knew full well that he was going to die.

* * *

Mary Jane and Kitty both woke up late the next morning with considerable headaches, although neither one particularly minded. Despite all the problems they'd both had to deal with in the past month, this morning all they had to deal with were their hangovers. Today they intended to take it easy, as neither of them had to work and they both needed a break from everything they'd had to deal with.

"So, what are you going to do today?" Mary Jane asked Kitty as they cleaned up the breakfast dishes.

"Probably just get caught up on my reading," Kitty replied. "After last night and midterms, I really don't feel like doing anything, you know?"

"Do I ever," Mary Jane smiled. "I've been needing a break in the worst way, too."

"How are things going with the Kingsley commercials?" Kitty asked. "And that version of _Les Miserables?_"

"I'm still waiting for the callbacks on them," Mary Jane explained. "The money I make from them should be able to help us keep the apartment."

"Come on MJ, you don't need to worry about that," Kitty shook her head. "Like I said, I can pay a bigger share of the rent if you have trouble-"

"It's not just about the money, either," Mary Jane interrupted before Kitty could continue. "They could both really help my career out! Besides, I hate to leave you hanging with more than your share of the rent."

Kitty clenched her hands in frustration at Mary Jane's stubbornness. She'd already told Mary Jane that it didn't matter, that they could just get another place to live if they couldn't keep the apartment-

She was interrupted by the phone ringing. Looking at the call display in surprise, she found that they were being called by the New York Police Department.

"Hello?" Kitty asked in surprise, wondering why the police would be contacting her.

_"Ms. Pryde?" _the voice on the other end spoke, a voice that Kitty recognized. _"It's Detective Jason Macendale, Superhuman Activities Unit. Do you have a moment?" _

"Yes, I do…" Kitty trailed off.

_"We caught the guy who sent you that threatening letter," _Detective Macendale told her. _"His name was Willie Stryker, a lowlife from the Lower East Side," _he explained. _"We arrested him, but he ended up getting beaten to death in one of our holding cells." _

Kitty's free hand flew to her mouth in amazement at the news. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it.

"Okay…so why are you telling me?" she asked.

_"It's standard department policy to inform crime victims when we've caught the guilty parties and inform them on the status of their cases," _Detective Macendale replied. _"We wanted to let you know that your case is concluded, that's all. You don't have to testify or do anything else-we had enough physical evidence to prove Stryker's guilt to begin with." _

Kitty wasn't sure what to say, before Detective Macendale hung up.

"What was that about?" Mary Jane asked, before Kitty explained it to her.

"Sounds like the bastard got what he deserved," Mary Jane shrugged when Kitty had finished.

"I don't know about that," Kitty frowned. "It just doesn't seem right. I mean, he doesn't deserve to die!"

"Maybe not, but I'm not exactly going to be shedding any tears for him," Mary Jane pointed out. "He's just as bad as that dick at the _Daily Globe _who outed you as a mutant."

Kitty was forced to concede the point to Mary Jane, although that didn't make her feel any better about it.

* * *

Later that day, Mary Jane's phone rang as she was catching up on the latest _Twilight _novel. Looking at the call display, she felt alternately thrilled and alternately sick as she realized that Roderick Kingsley was on the other end.

"Hello?" she asked.

_"Mary Jane, sweetheart!" _Kingsley said in a winning voice. _"Are you available next Saturday? We'll be shooting the first commercial in the morning! It shouldn't take long, maybe just two hours or so." _

"…Yeah, I can make it," Mary Jane finally forced herself to say. "I have to work that night, though."

_"It's no problem," _Kingsley assured her, before giving her the address of the studio where they would be shooting the film. _"See you Saturday-you're going to be a star, sweetie!" _

Hanging up, Mary Jane felt a mix of eager anticipation and unnerved dread.

She was still feeling that way an hour later, when she got another call.

"Hello?" she asked again.

_"Is this Mary Jane Watson?" _the woman on the other end asked.

"Speaking," Mary Jane replied, curious as to what the person wanted.

_"I'm with the Blackfriars Theatre," _the woman explained, _"and we were wondering if you could come in for the next round of auditions for our production of Les Miserables. This set of auditions will help us make our final casting choice. We were very impressed with your performance last week." _

"Thank you," Mary Jane said, both surprised and gratified. "When's the next audition?"

_"On Saturday afternoon," _the woman replied. _"Will you be able to come?" _

"I have to work later that night, but I should be able to make it," Mary Jane assured her. "Thanks a lot for this!"

_"It's our pleasure," _the woman assured Mary Jane, before hanging up.

Despite all the stress and the problems she'd had to put up with over the last few weeks, Mary Jane felt a sudden thrill of excitement.

Things were finally looking up.

* * *

It was October 31, 2007.

Today was Steven Mark Levins' forty-third birthday. It was particularly fitting for him, given that he had become the frightfully dangerous mass-murdering supervillain called Jack O'Lantern. Wearing a ghoulish smiling pumpkin for a head, Jack O'Lantern had killed dozens of innocent and not-so-innocent people as part of his larger scheme to establish a new crime syndicate run by and for costumed supervillains. The Tomorrow Legion, as he called it, was meant for people who reveled in their own depraved nature and committed their crimes as much for sadistic pleasure as for profit. Their costumes, according to Jack, marked them out as willing to openly express their true natures, and he'd formed the Legion as a means for them to make more money and cause more destruction than they could on their own.

Unfortunately, Jack had subsequently been defeated by Spider-Woman and unmasked as Steven Mark Levins, after which he was imprisoned for his crimes. Tonight, on Halloween, he sat quietly in his cell, staring quietly at the ceiling. Some of the other villains had wanted to wish him a happy birthday, but Levins-or Jack O'Lantern, as he now insisted on being called-simply ignored them.

He might have appreciated their birthday wishes, but Jack O'Lantern was too wrapped up in his memories of carving pumpkins to notice. It had been one of his favorite activities as a child, stabbing the knife into the top of the pumpkin and sawing through it until the top came off, after which he proceeded to rip the pumpkin's guts out with a spoon and then carved into its face.

Now, sitting alone in his cell in the middle of the night, Jack O'Lantern was thinking about what it would be like if he tried doing something similar to a human head.

There was so much to consider-should he keep the head's flesh and carve into that, or just tear it off and carve into the bone? Should the victim still be alive when Jack carved into him or her, or should he or she be dead first? Should Jack bleed the victim out first, or what? What kind of patterns would he carve into the faces? Standard Halloween decorations, or should he go for something more exotic?

And for that matter, whose head should he start with first?

Mary Jane Watson was the obvious choice, of course, given that she'd been the one to constantly interfere with his fun, but he had to admit it would be enjoyable to watch her suffer if he started by carving up the people she knew.

Mary Jane's family might have been obvious targets, but the catch there was that would be the sort of thing Mary Jane was expecting.

No, he'd have to find someone else to do these sorts of things to.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Mary Jane asked Kitty a few days later when she returned home from work. "You seem kind of pale. Are those bigots-"

"No, no…they're all going after Jameson now," Kitty shook her head. "I'm just freaked out by what I've been seeing at the _Daily Bugle, _is all."

"What would that be?" Mary Jane asked, careful not to show her interest.

"A bunch of college kids have been found dead over the last week or so," Kitty murmured. "They were all from Midtown High."

"Midtown?" Mary Jane asked in surprise. "What were their names?"

"Danny Mallows, Kerri Thompson, Reggie Fox and Johnny Krieger," Kitty replied.

"What happened to them?" Mary Jane asked, alarm bells ringing in her head.

"They've all been found dead. Just…dead, as if the life was choked out of them. And their faces…God, I saw the pictures Eddie Brock took of their faces. They looked…like…like…"

"What?" Mary Jane persisted.

"…Like they were frightened out of their minds," Kitty finally said.

Although she was careful not to show it, Mary Jane suddenly became very worried. She recalled the cliques that used to form at Midtown High, including one that involved many of the wealthy and popular students. Mary Jane hadn't joined it herself, owing in no small part to the bitter rivalry she'd developed with its queen bee, but she distinctly remembered all the students who used to be a part of it.

Aside from the way in which they'd died, the one thing that Danny Mallows, Kerri Thompson and the other victims had shared was that they had all been a part of that clique.

Glancing through the article Kitty had shown her, she realized that they'd all died in isolated areas well after dark. Hopefully that would give her time to look after her homework and her job before investigating as Spider-Woman.

There were only two members of the clique left still alive, and it was a fifty-fifty shot that the killer would go after one of them.

Mary Jane could only pray that she'd make the right choice.

* * *

Sally Avril stumbled off the bus, blinking a few times as she tried to focus her incredibly blurred vision. She realized she'd clearly had too much to drink-she'd missed her stop, and now she'd have to walk another three blocks to get back to her apartment. Fighting the urge to vomit, she realized that she'd gotten even more sloshed than she usually did at these frat parties, as she nearly fell flat on her face.

Wrapping her jacket even more tightly against the cold November wind, Sally muttered under her breath as she realized that it was even chillier than it typically was at this time of year. Her breath was frosting in front of her, and the evening had gotten cloudy all of a sudden. A mist was descending all around her, seeming to get thicker by the minute, obscuring everything around her into a thick, dreamlike haze.

Her brain dulled by the effects of cocaine and alcohol, it took Sally several moments to realize that something was very wrong here. Looking around, she could swear she saw something looming out of the mist, something that stirred a half-forgotten memory at the back of her mind. That memory struggled against the booze- and crack-fuelled daze that she was trapped in, filling Sally with a rising sense of dread and horror that made her slowly realize that she was doomed. Recognition began to dawn on her, a recognition of something she thought she'd left dead and buried.

She was jolted out of her fear by a powerful electrical sting blast that came down through the mist and exploded at her feet. The mist seemingly retreated for a moment, and whatever Sally saw in the mist quickly vanished. A beautiful, lithe figure in a bright red and gold costume jumped down into the alley next to her, turning around to examine Sally.

"You're…" Sally slurred, trying to remember who this new arrival was.

"Are you okay?" Spider-Woman asked her gently, still glancing quickly to either side at the mist that still coalesced around them. The mist seemed to have frozen, swirling in the air as it tried to determine what to make of the second person in the alley with it.

"That mist…" Sally mumbled, looking around in fear. "It's…It's…"

Grabbing Sally, Spider-Woman sprang into the air and spun a webline, swinging out of the alley. They were up on the roof in less than five seconds, but the mist rapidly gathered and rose up to follow them with almost terrifying speed, slithering after them as Spider-Woman ran away, carrying Sally in her arms. Spider-Woman carried Sally over two, three and then four buildings, finally coming back to street level once they couldn't jump any further, but the mist was with them every step of the way and swirled menacingly around them once they were back on the streets.

Looking around in alarm, Spider-Woman shivered at the now deathly cold around them, as the mist began to thicken. She tried to focus on something to attack, wondering if the mist was cover for some supervillain, but she couldn't see anything. In desperation, she tried distributing her special tracking pheromones to anything around them, but all her spider-senses could detect was Sally. As Mary Jane, Spider-Woman had already marked Sally with her pheromones, which was how she'd been able to track Sally down, but there just didn't seem to be anything out there.

At least, that was what her spider-senses were telling her. Spider-Woman could definitely feel something out there now, something that triggered a nagging sense of familiarity within her. She also felt distinctly unnerved, but as she turned to look at Sally she saw that Sally was almost out of her mind with fear, babbling incoherently and shaking like a leaf. The mists were rapidly thickening, the thing Spider-Woman had detected out there was getting ready to strike.

The mists loomed in at them, as Spider-Woman fired her sting blasts uselessly into the night. Turning around and grabbing Sally tightly, Spider-Woman tried to pull her away, hoping to God they could find some other hero who could help them against whatever was out there. By now, though, Sally was no longer shaking. Instead, she stared into the darkness, begging for mercy as tears formed in her eyes.

Spider-Woman tugged uselessly at Sally's arm, and tried firing her sting blasts at the area where the mist was thickest. The mists briefly shimmered in reaction to the blasts, before they lashed out at Spider-Woman in return.

All of a sudden, Spider-Woman herself wanted to scream as she stared into the face of what was behind the mists, a face that answered a hundred questions and raised a hundred more.

She stared into the face of Brigid O'Reilly.

* * *

When Spider-Woman woke up, she had a piercing headache. Looking around in a daze, she found that she was alone. Sally had collapsed nearby, not stirring as Spider-Woman struggled to her feet. Staggering forward, Spider-Woman looked down at Sally, hoping to God that she-

Too late. Spider-Woman stared at the corpse of Sally Avril, in particular the look of pure terror on her face. Sally was just like the others, frightened not just by horror, but by recognition.

Grief and anger filled Spider-Woman as she realized her failure. Now, there was only one member of Sally's clique left, one person who the mists would try to kill, and one person who could explain to her what in God's name was going on.

Springing into the air and webswinging away, Spider-Woman could only hope to God that she wouldn't be too late.

* * *

At first, Felicia Hardy rolled over and tried to ignore the banging at her window. She hadn't felt well enough to go to the party tonight, and the banging sound was only making it worse. Finally getting up with a curse, she stomped over to the window to see what was going on, picking up a baseball bat as she did so. She dropped the bat in shock as she saw the spectacular Spider-Woman standing there, a determined look on her face.

"What the fuck…what do you want with me?" Felicia asked in amazement as she opened the window. "You can't just-hey!" she screeched as Spider-Woman forced her way into the apartment Felicia shared with Sally and shut it behind her.

"We need to talk," Spider-Woman told Felicia determinedly.

"Look, bitch, you can't just barge in here and-" Felicia snapped, her temperature rising, before Spider-Woman pushed her back onto her bed.

"If you don't shut up and listen to me, I doubt you're going to live through the night," Spider-Woman hissed. "You're going to answer my questions. If you don't, then you're as good as dead."

"What, are you threatening me?" Felicia sneered. "I thought you were supposed to be a hero, or something!"

"I'm not the one who's going to try to kill you," Spider-Woman said in frustration, looking back out the window and at the door to Felicia's bedroom in alarm. "If you don't get your ass in gear-oh God," she cursed, stepping into a fighting stance as the mists began to drift into the room through the crack under Felicia's door. The mists moved much more swiftly this time, and soon both Felicia and Spider-Woman could feel the other presence in the room with them. They both soon saw it too, as it coalesced and began to take on a decidedly human form.

Soon, it was as if Felicia and Spider-Woman were caught in a twilit netherworld, so thick were the mists now. They couldn't see anything except the ghostly womanlike figure than strode towards them, its skin glowing with a ghastly combination of chalk white, pale green, and ash gray hues that swirled and shimmered in random patterns. The figure's eyes were pale, dead white, gleaming at them in the pearl-grey gloom with a combination of recognition and hatred.

Felicia and Spider-Woman recognized it too. It was someone they'd both thought had disappeared years ago, and that they would never see again.

"Jesus Christ…" Felicia Hardy breathed. "You're…you're…"

_I see you remember, _Brigid O'Reilly said with an eerie calm. _Five have been paid back, and now there's only one. You're the last one, Felicia. The last one who needs to be accounted for. _

"Not if I can help it," Spider-Woman intervened, stepping in front of Felicia as her fists glowed with the energy of her sting blasts. "What are you? Why are you doing this?" she demanded in anger.

_Tell her, Felicia, _Brigid said, turning her gaze on Spider-Woman. _Tell her why no one ever saw me again after that night. Tell her what happened to me. You remember, don't you? _

Spider-Woman moved to strike, but then the mists closed in on her and she saw the scene playing out in her mind.

* * *

_"How could you, Felicia?" Brigid O'Reilly demanded. "Why did you have to tell them that? Why'd they need to know?" _

_"…I don't know, Brigid," Felicia lied. Things had seemed to go so well at first-Felicia trying to make up for bullying Brigid, before pretending to become friends with her and then revealing about how her father was addicted to heroin and had been in and out of rehab twice. She'd announced it out loud in the lunchroom, just to add an extra dash of humiliation. _

_Brigid had wanted to kill herself after that, until Felicia had made an effort to apologize. _

_"I've just been so stressed out lately," Felicia replied. "My mom and dad are always fighting, and I just…I just wanted to lash out at someone, anyone!" _

_"You...really hurt me," Brigid finally said. _

_"I know," Felicia said, tears forming in her eyes. "Can you ever forgive me?" _

_Brigid looked back at her, feeling a sense of pity rise up as she saw the pain on Felicia's face. More than that, she felt another sense, a sense that almost no one had ever given her before-a sense of friendship, belonging. _

_"…Of course I can," Brigid said. _

* * *

_"So, that's the plan?" Danny Mallows asked Reggie Fox as they made their way to Felicia's house. "Tell me again what this stuff does?" _

_"They call it 'snap'," Reggie explained, "and it's supposed to be a new designer drug. It gives you a high like you wouldn't believe. It's some really good shit, believe me!" _

_"And I have to keep the camera hidden until after Brigid starts getting high, right? Then we can tape her freaking out?" _

_"And we'll post it all over the Internet," Reggie smirked. "It was Felicia's idea-once it's all done, all we have to do is just sit back and enjoy the show!" _

_They laughed out loud. _

* * *

_At first, Brigid's babblings and stumbling had made for a very humorous experience. They gave her one snap tablet, and then another, and then another, taking their own fake tablets to keep her from getting suspicious. Her behavior was hilarious at first, getting more and more manic with every pill she took, until she finally took a bow and collapsed face down on the floor. _

_Reggie, Danny, Kerri, Sally, Nelson and Felicia all stood there for several minutes, waiting for Brigid to get back up. _

_Then it dawned on them that she wasn't moving. _

_Gingerly, Nelson stepped forward to examine her. _

_"Holy shit…" he stammered in amazement. "She's…she's not breathing…" _

_"What the fuck do you mean, she's not breathing?" Kerri demanded. "Let me see," she said, shoving Nelson aside and taking a look at Brigid's face. To her horror, she saw that Brigid's spittle was foamy and discolored. _

_"Oh my God!" Kerri screamed. "She ODed!" _

_"She ODed?" Felicia's jaw dropped in shock. "No…she…she can't…this can't…" _

_"Oh God…oh God…oh God…" Reggie muttered over and over again. "We've got to get her to the hospital!" _

_"Are you out of your fucking mind?" demanded Felicia. "We'll all go to jail!" _

_"So what the hell do we do?" Sally demanded. _

_"We're going to go to jail…we're going to go to jail…we're going to go to jail…" Reggie mumbled to himself over and over. _

_"Will you shut up and let me fucking think?" Felicia snapped at all of them. _

_"So what do we do?" Danny finally pleaded after several minutes of silence. _

_"My dad's got a lot of investments in Osborn Industries," Felicia finally said. "The company stores a lot of powerful solvents and other shit in its chemical tanks. Dad says that it'll dissolve anything. I can get us in there without being seen with my Dad's keys. We dump the body, the chemicals melt it down, and it's like she never existed." _

_Desperation and fear played on the faces of the other five people in the room. _

_They couldn't think of anything else. _

* * *

_What neither Felicia nor any of the rest of her clique were aware of, however, were the bizarre chemical properties of snap. It could and did have bizarre side effects on people who overdosed on it, side effects that were only enhanced by the toxic soup that Brigid's body was eventually dumped into. _

_The combination of the drugs and the toxic chemicals…changed Brigid O'Reilly. When the chemicals were flushed out of the tank, Brigid went with it. Only now she was no longer human. She was…something else, a cloud of poison, a bitter cold memory, a sense of mayhem. It took some time for her essence to escape the chemical byproducts, and even more time for her to reconvene the scattered parts of her essence. _

_She'd only managed to do it a few weeks ago, finally reassembling her memories and her sense of who she was. _

_Eventually, Brigid O'Reilly finally realized who she was, what had happened to her, and what she had become. _

_She'd tried to scream, she really did, but no one could hear her. _

* * *

"Good Lord…" Spider-Woman gasped as Brigid released her from the mental link, turning to stare at Felicia in horror.

"You…you…" she began.

"I didn't have a fucking choice!" Felicia shouted back angrily. "I wasn't about to go to jail!"

_Actually, perhaps I should be thanking you, _Brigid interrupted sardonically. _I nearly went mad when I realized what happened to me, and saw that I wasn't human anymore. It turned out to be a lot more beneficial than I would have thought, especially considering what I was able to do to the rest of our little clique. _

_Maybe I won't kill you, Felicia-maybe I'll let you walk a mile in my shoes. I think you'd like that-to realize that the people you thought were your friends left you for dead and turned you into a freak? Realizing that you want to scream out your hate and your anger, that you savor every moment of the agony you went through because you'll be able to make them feel terror even worse than you did? _

_I felt all that, Felicia. I felt all that and more. _

_And now it's your turn. _

"No, stop!" Spider-Woman intervened, stepping between Brigid and Felicia. "Killing Felicia won't change anything! You'll just be sinking to her level!"

_After killing five people, I like to think I'm there already, _Brigid hissed back, her eyes flashing dangerously as she turned to consider Spider-Woman. _I left you alive before because I didn't have a grudge against you, but if you keep trying to stop me I'll be more than happy to change my mind! _

Knowing what she was up against this time, Spider-Woman tagged Brigid with a webline and spun around, throwing Brigid out the window. The window shattered as the still-solid Brigid passed through it, and Spider-Woman leapt after her. Still too stunned to fully react, she staggered as Spider-Woman blasted her repeatedly with her sting blasts, unable to shift back into her mist form fast enough. It took her several seconds to finally do so, and by the time she did the sounds of their fight had attracted several passersby, who had come out of a nearby restaurant and the lower floors of Felicia's apartment building to see what was going on. Several of them shouted in surprise, and others fled to call the police, alarmed at the mists that were rapidly thickening around them.

_Damn you! _Brigid shrieked angrily, her anger almost palpable to Spider-Woman. _Felicia turned me into a freak, and you're still trying to protect her? _

"Please, you've got to stop this mayhem!" Spider-Woman shouted back, trying desperately to get through to Brigid.

_Mayhem? Yes, I suppose that's what I am now! That's what I've always been! Mom and Dad would be so proud! _Brigid shouted, as her mists wafted out to all the people who were still standing in the streets with them. _Want to see what it's really like? _she taunted Spider-Woman, as the people who breathed in her mists began to scream and shout, attacking one another with horrific abandon.

Breathing in the mists herself, Spider-Woman could feel Brigid-_no, Mayhem!, _Brigid called out in her mind-stirring up fear and anger in her mind. She wanted to lash out, to fight, to scream, as the emotions Mayhem stirred up almost seized control of her.

Spider-Woman shook her head vigorously, reasserting every bit of willpower she could muster as she sprayed her webbing all around her. She entangled all the other people that Mayhem was trying to control, leaving them unable to harm themselves or each other. As if in response, Mayhem's mists seemed to withdraw from them and then concentrate around Spider-Woman, as Mayhem focused all of her rage on the arachnid heroine.

_I didn't have to do this, _Mayhem told her. _I didn't WANT to do this, Spider-Woman, but your interference screwed everything up! I'm sorry it had to be this way, but if I have to use you to kill Felicia, then that's what I'll do! _

The anger and fear were almost overwhelming now, as Spider-Woman suddenly felt the urge to track Felicia down and rip her apart. Everything she used to feel, her old resentments and frustrations, were building up again as Mayhem tried to make her attack Felicia.

And yet, Spider-Woman refused to move, summoning up her own memories of what her anger had made her do. She remembered all her old hatred, her loathing of Felicia, her father, Jack O'Lantern and the rest of her rogues' gallery, her anger what her mother had suffered through, her frustrations at all the problems she'd had to endure growing up and since she first put on her costume…

…and how she'd managed to deal with it.

_Those things still hurt, _Spider-Woman realized, _and they're always going to be a part of me. But that's not all I am, and I'm not about to throw everything else I have away because of it!_

_Why…won't…you…_Mayhem gasped, frustration beginning to set in as she kept up the pressure. _Felicia's hurt too many people…you can't let her get away with…_

_I won't let you make me a murderer! _Spider-Woman mentally shouted back, steeling her memories one more time. _Now __**get out of my head!**_

Recoiling in frustration, Mayhem found herself being forced out, to her incredible disbelief. Her screams began echoing through the minds of everyone around her, as her rage went completely out of control.

_I'll kill you! All of you! _Mayhem raved. _I'm a monster, I'm a freak, I'm going to make you all pay!_ She returned to her tangible human form for a few moments, before spreading out her mists again. The people around them, still trapped in Spider-Woman's webbing, began to gasp and scream as she began stimulating the fear within them as well.

Spider-Woman realized that it was now or never as she tackled Mayhem, knocking her off balance and disrupting her concentration. They rolled and struggled for several moments, Spider-Woman repeatedly blasting Mayhem's tangible form to keep her off balance, even as Mayhem tried to gather her mists long enough to escape. Their fight led them under the electric sign of Felicia's apartment building, which gave Mayhem a sudden idea.

No longer trying to escape, Mayhem began fighting back against Spider-Woman directly, breathing mist into her face to confuse her. Quickly twisting around in Spider-Woman's grip, Mayhem suddenly rose straight up, intending to fling Spider-Woman directly into the electrified sign and burn her that way. Unfortunately, Spider-Woman quickly caught on to what she was doing, and used her super strength to break out of Mayhem's grip and drop down to safety less than a second before Mayhem crashed into the electrified sign.

Once again, Mayhem's psychic screams rippled through everyone present, including the police officers who had arrived. Still solid, her body now crackling with raw electricity, Mayhem broke free of the sign and flew into the air. Writhing in agony, she flew back up towards Felicia's apartment, her murderous intent clear in the minds of everyone who was listening.

Spider-Woman burst into Felicia's apartment less than a second after the brightly glowing Mayhem did. Now completely clouded by pain, Mayhem was lashing out blindly, causing fires as she struck Felicia's wooden furniture. Thinking quickly, Spider-Woman used one hand to spray the budding fires with webbing, smothering them before they could spread, even as she used the other hand to tie up Mayhem and prevent her from doing any more damage.

Spider-Woman realized just how pale Mayhem had become, the mists bleeding off her more and more as the electricity charging her body ripped through her. Her formerly angry expression was replaced by a semblance of illness and exhaustion-the electricity had clearly done more damage to her body than anyone realized. Finally, Spider-Woman pulled her in close, wondering if there was anything she could do to help Mayhem.

It was too late, as Mayhem was already shimmering in and out of focus, the expression on her face alternating between pain and hatred. She tried to mouth something as she finally dissolved into a cloud of mist that evaporated altogether, but she couldn't manage to get the words out.

Both Felicia and Spider-Woman understood what she'd been trying to say.

_God damn you, Felicia. _

Those words echoed in Spider-Woman's mind as she turned to consider Felicia, who had been hiding in her room during this whole fight. Anger welled up within her as she realized what Felicia and her friends had done to Brigid, and all the death, chaos and horror it had caused over the past several days. Spider-Woman wanted nothing more than to drag Felicia, the only other person who knew the truth about what had happened to Brigid O'Reilly that night, down to face the police, but she knew there was no conceivable way she could prove Felicia's guilt.

All she could do was stare at Felicia in impotent, helpless fury.

"You're responsible for this," she finally hissed at Felicia.

"You can't prove that," Felicia replied, a cold look in her eyes.

"Maybe not," Spider-Woman shot back, "but you're the one who has to live with it."

With those words, Spider-Woman turned around and sprang back out the window, spinning a webline as she took off into the night, too disgusted to stay any longer.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane tries to get her life back on track, hoping for big things from her audition for _Les Miserables _and her work in Roderick Kingsley's commercials. Unfortunately, she also has to try to cope with the fallout of midterm exams, along with her efforts to track down Moonstone and the rest of the Tomorrow Legion. To make matters worse, Spider-Woman finds herself confronting a new supervillain menace when she battles the video villain known as Netshape! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #35: System Crash!_)


	39. System Crash

However much Mary Jane Watson might have enjoyed the Fright Night Halloween party she'd attended with her friends, that enjoyment had been thoroughly spoiled when she'd investigated a series of mysterious murders in her costumed heroic identity as the spectacular Spider-Woman. She'd learned all too well the horrifying truth behind the murders, and the sickening part Felicia Hardy had played in them. The fact that Mary Jane couldn't prove anything about Felicia's sickening crimes, thus ensuring she'd never face justice for what she'd done, infuriated Mary Jane to no end.

Of course, with the month of November now in full swing, the problems in Mary Jane's personal life had come back into her life front and centre. Empire State University's professors had now corrected their students' midterm exams, and the students were now anticipating their exam results half in hope, half in dread. Mary Jane was decidedly more on the dread side-everything she'd had to deal with, ranging from her efforts to find better-paying modeling and acting work to the problems she encountered as Spider-Woman, had prevented her from getting as much studying done as she wanted. One particular encounter with Moonstone had been especially bad-Mary Jane had been so exhausted from the injuries she'd suffered in her battle that she hadn't been able to finish her Biology exam, and while resting after the fight and the test she ended up sleeping half the day away and missing her English exam altogether.

_As__usual, __the __old __Watson __luck __is __running __true __to__f orm,_Mary Jane thought glumly as she walked up the steps of the Arthur Miller Building for her morning Drama class.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #35

"SYSTEM CRASH"

* * *

The C-plus Mary Jane got on her Drama exam turned out to be the good news. Over the course of the day, Mary Jane found that she'd gotten a D-plus on her History exam, a D-average on her Chemistry exam, and a zero on her English exam. Although her English class wasn't scheduled for today, she still stopped by to see Professor Huddleston during his office hours and get his exam from him personally.

Now, making her way to the Erskine Building to visit Dr. Curt Connors, Mary Jane was wondering how she'd possibly be able to explain her terrible grades to her mother. Maddie Watson had been doing so much better since she'd gotten the therapy she so sorely needed, but Mary Jane was afraid of dragging her down again with any bad news. That made Mary Jane feel terrible by itself, but what frustrated her all the more was that she'd had to become Spider-Woman in order to try and stop Moonstone from stealing the Enervator machine.

_And__I__couldn__'__t__even__do_that _right,_Mary Jane cursed herself as she knocked on Dr. Connors' office door. Entering at his call, Mary Jane saw that the Doctor was the same as he always was. Dressed in a rumpled cardigan sweater, formal dress shirt and pants, and his formal dress shoes, Dr. Connors cut a distinguished academic figure seated at his desk and surrounded by the scientific journals and books that made up his life's passion behind him.

"Mary Jane," Dr. Connors nodded in response to her greeting, frowning heavily as she sat down. "I take it you're here for your exam?"

"Yes, I am," Mary Jane replied, as Dr. Connors nodded and sighed. Searching through the pile of corrected exams on his desk, Dr. Connors selected one and handed it to her with a disapproving look on his face. Mary Jane's heart sank when she saw the look on his face, and then it fell even further when she saw the F he'd marked on it in red ink.

"I…" Mary Jane trailed off.

"Suffice to say that I'm very disappointed in you, Mary Jane," Dr. Connors shook his head. "Several students have had trouble in this class, but you haven't even seemed to try! The quality of your work has been well below what I would have expected. I know you're smart enough to get the material, but what I can't tell is why you aren't putting in a good enough effort."

Mary Jane hesitated, her stomach turning in knots as she tried to figure out what to say.

"I don't have as much time to study as I'd like," she finally ventured. "I have to do a lot of extra work to pay for rent and food and things like that."

"So do a lot of other students," Dr. Connors reproached her, "and they're still doing better than you. In fact…" he trailed off, noticing the pile of exams that Mary Jane had unwittingly placed on his desk in full view for him to see. "In fact, with these kinds of grades, I'd be very surprised if you didn't end up on academic probation."

Mary Jane flinched visibly, her frustration building as she tried to figure out how she could possibly explain the situation to Dr. Connors without giving away more than she needed to. At the back of her mind, she began wondering what her mother and Aunt Anna were going to say when they found out how badly she'd been doing…

"…I…I'm sorry, Doctor," Mary Jane said, an edge in her voice. "I…don't know what to say…"

"Well, I do," Dr. Connors said, folding his arms. "You need to get your priorities straight, Mary Jane. If you can't apply yourself in my class, then you don't belong in it. Like I said before, you're smart enough to do well, but if you won't make the effort to do the work then you shouldn't be wasting your professors' time," he concluded reproachfully.

Mary Jane tried to say something, anything, but she forced herself to stand up, nod in appreciation, and leave. Inwardly she was boiling with frustration and anger, not so much at Dr. Connors but her apparent inability to keep everything going.

_I need to stay in school but I also need to get enough good paying work and build my acting and modeling resumes and that doesn't give me a steady paycheck so I have to work at the coffee shop on top of all that and on top of everything else I keep having to intervene as Spider-Woman to stop some costumed freak from robbing or killing innocent people and if I don't do that I'm just as guilty as the villains themselves but it prevents me from dealing with my personal problems and that means I'll end up letting down my mother and Aunt Anna and everyone else who's ever believed in me…_

Mary Jane's train of thought continued like that through the rest of the day, even as she somehow managed to keep up a brave face in front of Kitty and Kong that evening at home.

* * *

Tony Stark and Stuart Clarke were widely known as two of America's most brilliant engineering and business minds. As the respective heads of Stark Enterprises and ClarkeTech, they had been engaged in a friendly but heated rivalry to outdo one another and become America's leading high tech manufacturers. Their competition had led them both to develop many new pioneering inventions, spurring a new tech boom in America that had earned them both immense fortunes. Tony Stark had invented the Global Positioning System, while Stuart Clarke had become known as the father of the smartphone; Clarke had developed new neural interface technology that allowed amputees to control their bionic limbs as easily as their real limbs, and allowed paraplegics to walk again, while Stark had developed the Guardsman battle armor now used by law enforcement agencies the world over to arrest and detain superhuman criminals; Both men and their companies remained on the cutting edge of medical technology, telecommunications and laboratory technology, meeting but unable to fully overcome the challenges they posed to one another.

Stark Enterprises seemed to have the upper hand with its new solar power technology, which the company had released last year. Tony Stark had designed a new type of solar technology that could absorb and retain far more solar energy than previous models. In addition, Stark had also developed a type of special battery that could absorb and store the power to be transported and then used in another area. This innovation t was set to provide a new source of clean energy both to areas like northern Canada and Europe, and poorer countries in the developing world that did not have much access to electrical infrastructure.

In response, Stuart Clarke had begun pursuing another interest that he hoped to undercut Stark in, namely the still largely untapped science of nanotechnology. Already ClarkeTech had made tremendous profits from its inroads into new markets with nanotechnology that was built into everyday consumer goods ranging from video games to sports equipment. But Clarke was intrigued by some of the more theoretical abilities of nanotechnology-namely, that it could be preprogrammed to form everything from chairs to flashlights. Every part of the nanotech could be programmed to form a part of the greater whole, much like how each atom or molecule formed part of a greater physical entity.

Larson Gatesworth was one of the ClarkeTech scientists working on this project along with Stuart himself. As a matter of fact, they'd managed to develop a working, pre-programmable form of nanotech that could alter itself on its programmer's command, but it still needed extensive testing and review before it would ever be ready to be brought to market. Larson had taken some of this nanotech home with him to work on in the evenings, just as eager as his boss to unlock nanotechnology's true potential.

None of this mattered to Larson's son Jonathan, however. Although Jonathan Gatesworth was likely Larson's equivalent or even his superior when it came to engineering talent, Jonathan wasn't the least bit interested in applying his talents for constructive purposes. He preferred to spend his time playing video games and reading dirty Japanese hentai manga. All the computer programming and design he actually did was to indulge his perversions

Despite this, Jonathan had in fact taken a very keen interest in the nanotechnology that Larson brought home to study. He'd begun experimenting with it himself after Larson and the rest of the family had fallen asleep, seeing what he could do with it. So far he'd been able to preprogram the nanotech with the appearances and actions of his favorite video game characters-Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong, the Super Mario Brothers, Duke Nukem, Bomberman, Kratos…

The nanotech had formed small humanoid figures within the glass display case connected to the computer Larson and Jonathan were using to program the nanotech. However, so far even Jonathan couldn't tell if they were just three-dimensional holograms, or if the nanotechnology was actually replicating itself and forming a genuine figure. Intrigued, he tried to open the display case to see whether or not the entities created by the nanotech were solid.

The glass case was harder to open than he would have thought, and Jonathan ended up cutting his finger on the sharp-edged lid as he finally got it off. Cursing under his breath at the pain, Jonathan sucked the blood from the cut before reaching his hand into the display case to touch the nanotech. The figure was in fact solid, although it collapsed into a pile of dissolute nanites as soon as Jonathan touched it. As it did, Jonathan felt a weird tingling feeling pass through his finger, but when he withdrew his hand and looked at it everything appeared normal.

Shrugging in disappointment, Jonathan turned off the equipment before replacing everything the way he found it and heading to bed.

For all his talent as a programmer, Jonathan Gatesworth couldn't have known that some of the nanotech had entered his bloodstream through his cut and begun bonding with his body's cells, replicating along with them as the cells thrived and died, combining their computer programming with the genetic programming of Jonathan's DNA...

* * *

Saturday was the big day for Mary Jane, when her modeling and acting careers were going to truly take off. She would be shooting the first commercial for Kingsley Cosmetics' new Satin Angel fragrance, and later in the day she'd be trying out for the final auditions of the new production of _Les__Miserables,_hopefully to get her dream role of Eponine. Mary Jane had been looking forward to this day for a long time, and despite all the stress she was under she was eager to rise to the challenges before her. While it had rained heavily last night and the streets were filled with puddles, Mary Jane wasn't bothered in the least by the dismal weather.

Roderick Kingsley was wreathed in smiles as he greeted Mary Jane, his bright and eager eyes looking her over approvingly as his taller, more muscular brother Daniel stood impassively behind him. The way Kinglsey always stared and leered at Mary Jane had made her distinctly uncomfortable, but she'd forced herself to put up with it because of how well he paid. Today was no different, especially considering what she'd have to wear for the commercials.

"It's so good to see you, MJ," Kingsley grinned. "I just know you're going to knock them dead with these ads. They'll make me a fortune, and they'll make you a star!"

"I'm looking forward to it, Mr. Kingsley," Mary Jane smiled back, before she was led away to the dressing room where she would have her makeup applied and change into costume.

It was a strange sensation for Mary Jane to be so eager to get in front of the camera and give the performance she knew she was capable of, and yet at the same time become increasingly apprehensive about the way Kingsley was always looking at her.

* * *

Shooting the ad gave Mary Jane everything she could have wanted-an attractive, tasteful costume, good close-ups of her face and a brief speech to the camera extolling the virtues of Satin Angel. They only needed one or two takes before filming was complete-Mary Jane had done so well the first time that the director was more than happy with the results.

As she emerged into the main studio area after changing back into her street clothes, Mary Jane was surprised to find that almost all the crew had left. The only people still around were Daniel and Roderick Kingsley, who stood to greet her as she emerged from the dressing rooms.

"Where is everybody?" Mary Jane asked Roderick, looking around in surprise as she felt a sudden nervous apprehension rise up within her. Ominously, Daniel was standing at the exit, blocking the doors as Roderick advanced towards her with a wide smile on his face.

"They had to go to another project," Roderick explained, smiling that smile that reminded Mary Jane of a crocodile's grin. "It was scheduled right after this one. Daniel and I will be joining them shortly. I needed to talk to you before we left, though."

"What about?" Mary Jane asked, now extremely uncomfortable with the way Roderick Kingsley was leering at her.

"Have you thought about the future?" Roderick asked her, as Daniel stood impassively in the background. "Specifically, about your long term plans?"

"…Mr. Kingsley, I really need to go," Mary Jane explained. "I have to-"

"Just hear me out," Roderick interrupted her. "Times are tough these days, especially for the younger generation. I take it you have a lot of problems making ends meet?"

"…Why are you asking me these things?" Mary Jane asked, alarm coming into her voice. "I just want my paycheck-"

"I'm asking because I care about you," Roderick explained. "I take it you've got a lot of problems? I could help you with that."

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't need the help!" Mary Jane protested, now looking quickly from one side to the other as she backed off. "I just want to leave, damn it!"

"You lost your father in that mob war, didn't you?" Roderick grinned, as he quickly closed the gap between him and Mary Jane. "That's where I can help you, sweetie-I could be your daddy, if you like!"

Before Mary Jane could react, Roderick reached out and quickly pulled her into a tight hug, passing his hands down over her back until he groped her bottom. Still leering all the way, he spun around to stand behind her, even as one of his hands came back around to her front and began stroking her breasts.

"Go on," Kingsley whispered to her. "You can call me daddy…"

For the first few seconds Mary Jane had been too paralyzed with shock and horror to do anything, but now her temper flared angrily. Easily breaking free of Roderick's grip, she spun around and slapped him hard across the face. The sheer force of her blow knocked Roderick flat on his back, as blood gushed from his now-broken nose. Daniel Kingsley came up behind her, but Mary Jane drove an elbow into his gut and flipped him overhead to land prone in front of her.

Gasping at the blood dripping down the front of his nose, Roderick Kingsley stared with pure hatred at Mary Jane, livid at what she'd done to him.

"You…little…witch…" he gasped.

"We're done," Mary Jane said slowly, her eyes narrowing angrily. "And you're going to pay for this."

"That's what you think, honey," Kingsley smiled maliciously. "I pay my lawyers top dollar to make sure little incidents like this get swept under the rug. And they're very good at what they do. You really think you can get anything on me? Besides, who's going to believe you? It'll be your word against mine."

Shaking in anger and humiliation, Mary Jane stared back at him with pure loathing.

"Oh, and about your hopes of becoming a model? I have a lot of friends in the modeling world. Suffice it to say that, when I'm through with you, you'll never work in this town again!" Kingsley smirked triumphantly.

All Mary Jane could do was leave, seething in anger. She wasn't sure what upset her more-the things Kingsley had done to her, or the fact that he was right when he said that there was nothing she could do to get some justice for what he did.

The thought stayed with Mary Jane as she made her way home to change and prepare for the afternoon's audition of _Les __Miserables._

* * *

Mary Jane's mood wasn't any better as she continued on her way to the theatre. If anything, she felt even worse, wondering how she'd be able to get any modeling work at all if Kingsley used his influence to ruin her prospects. That would be all she needed, which was why she was looking forward to this _Les__Miserables_part so much-

Mary Jane was so distracted that she didn't see the man come up behind her and shove her off balance, and it took her long enough to regain her footing that he was able to steal her backpack and begin running off down the street. Shouting angrily, Mary Jane ran after him, but the man quickly looked behind him and put on another burst of speed, running for the stairs that led to the underground subway tunnels with astonishing speed.

Ordinarily, Mary Jane wouldn't have had any trouble catching the thief, but her high-heeled boots were extremely awkward to run in. Cursing herself for not wearing flats, Mary Jane couldn't catch the thief before he'd made it down the steps and into the underground subway station. He'd timed his movements well, running towards the nearest open train. Shouting at the people around her to stop him, Mary Jane felt a rising sense of panic as she saw the man getting away. Her Spider-Woman costume was in that backpack, and if the thief managed to find it…

Most of the people were too preoccupied with getting onto or off their trains, and even when they heard Mary Jane's shouts they weren't able to react quickly enough to catch the man. Shoving his way through the surprised passengers, he made it onto the train just before the doors closed and the train began to leave. By some miracle, Mary Jane managed to get onto the car behind him, although she was very nearly crushed by the door as it closed.

Stewing angrily, all she could do was wait until the thief got off the train. She'd managed to mark him with her tracking pheromones, so her spider senses would be able to trace him.

Three stops, then four. Once again, Mary Jane frantically checked her watch, realizing just how much time she was wasting, but she couldn't afford to lose her backpack, especially when it had her Spider-Woman costume and her wallet in it.

Finally, the subway stopped, and they got off the train. Looking through the crowd, Mary Jane finally saw the thief, walking slowly and casually to avoid drawing attention to himself. Shouting again, Mary Jane was the one to catch him off guard this time.

"Stop him! He stole my backpack!" Mary Jane cried out, putting an edge of panic in her voice.

It worked just as well as she'd hoped-a couple of larger men reacted to her pleas for help and caught the struggling thief. The thief himself began struggling and shouting in denial, as the transit police came up to see what was going on.

"What's going on here?" one of the policemen demanded.

"This bitch just started chasing and yelling at me, man!" the thief shouted, still struggling in the larger men's grip. "I don't know what the fuck her problem is!"

"You stole my backpack!" Mary Jane accused him.

"Bullshit!" the thief shouted back.

"Can you prove this?" one of the police officers asked Mary Jane.

"Of course I can," Mary Jane replied, taking the backpack from the thief. Opening it up, she pulled out her wallet and showed her student ID to the policemen. "Why would he be carrying around my identification?"

"Good enough," the policeman nodded, as his partner put a pair of handcuffs on the struggling and shouting thief and dragged him away. "We'll take it from here, sweetie."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Mary Jane boarded the subway to go back to her normal route, looking increasingly frantically at her watch. Fortunately, the ride back was much swifter than she could have hoped for. Finally, Mary Jane slowed to a brisk walk as she got within a couple of blocks of the theatre, taking a moment to relax as she began mentally rehearsing the lyrics to _On__My__Own,_the song she was planning to sing as part of her audition.

Unfortunately, Mary Jane had so many things on her mind that she wasn't paying as much attention as she could have to the very large puddles that had formed by the street curbs after last night's rain. Nor was she paying much attention to the vehicles that were racing down the street at high speeds.

The splashing she got from the next passing car jolted Mary Jane out of her reverie, although it took her several minutes to overcome the shock. Brushing her wet hair out of her eyes, she looked down at her suddenly wet and filthy attire. Taking a hand mirror out of her backpack, Mary Jane then paused to look at her face and see just how badly her makeup had been smeared by the drenching she'd gotten.

Sighing wearily, she made her way into the theatre and looked for a bathroom where she could at least redo her makeup.

* * *

The time she'd needed to get back to the theatre after her backpack had been stolen and then tidy up her makeup had cost Mary Jane dearly. The auditions for the part of Eponine were already half over by the time she finally made her way into the theatre, and from the looks the casting director and the producer were shooting her Mary Jane doubted that they were going to give her a turn. She tried to imagine what she must have looked like, stumbling in late, dripping wet and dressed in filthy clothes, her hair a rat's nest and her makeup hastily redone.

Everyone was looking at her.

On stage, Felicia Hardy was smirking triumphantly.

No one said anything, least of all Mary Jane, as she turned and left.

In a way, she was glad her face was still wet.

It helped camouflage her tears.

* * *

As she headed for the bus stop to go home and get cleaned up and changed for her late afternoon shift at the coffee shop, Mary Jane stewed over everything that had happened so far that day. At the back of her mind, she almost felt a certain sense of bemusement over how quickly things had gone bad when they'd seemed to be so much better when she'd woken up that morning.

_Granted, __that__'__s __the __way __it __always __seems __to __go __for __me __these __days,_she thought.

Mary Jane had just reached the bus stop when she heard the screams and crashes. Despite everything on her mind, she didn't waste any time in realizing that they were coming from the bank down the street, or in ducking into an alley where she changed into her Spider-Woman costume. Spider-Woman emerged from the other side of the alley and doubled around, webswinging towards the bank as she prepared to confront whatever was causing the trouble.

What she found as she leapt into the bank was just about the last thing she expected. Standing there pulling at the bank vault was what looked like a giant, oversized gorilla grunting as it ripped the vault door right off its hinges. As the creature turned around, Spider-Woman found to her amazement that the gorilla was wearing a long red necktie with the words DK on the front. Unsure of what the thing was, but knowing that its intentions were bad due to the bloodied and dead customers and guards in the bank, Spider-Woman struck the thing with a sting blast before it could react.

Howling in pain, the gorilla fell and landed on its back. As it did so, it shrank down to the size of an ordinary human. To Spider-Woman's astonishment, the resulting creature was a deep blue in skin color, except for the orange lines running up the front of his torso, legs and arms. At regular intervals, the orange lines expanded into orange circles with multiplier signs drawn in their centers. Much to Spider-Woman's horror, a pair of those orange circles actually seemed to serve as the creature's eyes, ringed around with metal rims.

"Unnghh," the blue-skinned creature muttered as he staggered to his feet. "Who the hell…oh my God!" he recoiled in amazement as he saw Spider-Woman. "You…you're Spider-Woman!"

"And you're going to jail," Spider-Woman said evenly, as she fired a double blast of webbing at him. To her amazement, the blue-skinned man's body seemed to shift and distort until he took on an appearance that was even more bizarre than his first one. His new form looked to Spider-Woman vaguely like a human-sized blue anthropomorphic hedgehog…that was wearing red sneakers?

"No can do, babe," the hedgehog-thing smirked as he easily dodged the web blast. "If I want to establish my rep, I can't let myself get caught, you know?" he continued, dodging the rest of Spider-Woman's web shots with an almost blinding speed. Before Spider-Woman could react, he'd charged in and slammed her in the gut with a vicious charging punch, made all the stronger with the speed he'd managed to put behind it.

"I take it you're not that familiar with Sonic the Hedgehog?" the hedgehog-man laughed, as he dodged the punches and kicks Spider-Woman threw at him with almost insulting ease. "How about the Mario Brothers?" he asked, as he suddenly began to warp and shift again. This time he took on the form of a human man with a thick moustache, clad in a pair of red overalls, a matching cap and a blue shirt. Grinning wickedly, a pair of fireballs appeared in the man's hands and he threw them with abandon, aiming directly for the wounded and prone bank employees who couldn't move. As Spider-Woman frantically moved to pull the defenseless employees out of the way, her bizarre opponent shifted back to his Sonic form and emptied the bank vault with lightning speed.

As he emerged, he ran for the door, but had to leap into the air to avoid the webbing that Spider-Woman had strung across his path like a tripwire. As he flew through the air, Spider-Woman tagged him with another webline and this time held firmly onto him, using her spider-strength and wall-crawling abilities to hold him firmly in place.

"Who are you?" she demanded, firing a sting blast at him with her free hand.

"The name's Netshape, sweet thing," the man grinned, grunting in pain as he absorbed the sting blast, before changing shape again. This time, he looked like a man in blue body armor with a white helmet. That didn't worry Spider-Woman nearly as much as the large explosive bomb he held in his hand, which he threw at her as she prepared to strike again. "And I'm starting things off with a BANG!" he leered as she dodged. Switching from his Bomberman form back to his Sonic form, Netshape dashed out the door.

Spider-Woman only shuddered at the damage the bomb had done to the area she'd been standing in. Angrily, she charged out the door after Netshape, focusing her spider senses to track him. He was already halfway down the street, dashing with that almost inhuman speed. Webswinging through the air after him, Spider-Woman made him stop short by throwing a sting blast ahead of him, which came down and exploded just before he came to a stop. Scowling angrily, he changed form once again, this time to a massively muscled man in sunglasses and army fatigues. The man's hair was a bright blonde, and he carried a very large gun in his hands.

"You want to play, bitch?" Netshape shouted in a rage. "Fine then, let's dance!" he continued, firing his gun at Spider-Woman. The bullets exploded all around her as she made her way down to street level, but one of the bullets cut through her webline and she ended up falling towards the pavement. By landing on her hands and immediately springing into the air in a series of cartwheels, Spider-Woman managed to avoid being injured by the fall, but she left herself wide open to the explosive bullets Netshape was shooting at her. The explosion blew her off her feet and cut her all over with shrapnel, leaving her stunned for a moment as Netshape came towards her.

"You know, you're pretty fucking hot," Netshape smirked at her, briefly turning back to his normal dark blue form. "I bet even most of my groupies won't look as good as you do. That's why I'm doing this, you know-chicks love a badass," he continued, changing shape into a massive-looking man with ash-gray skin and a large, vicious ball and chain in each of his hands, dressed like something out of Greek myth. Previously he'd been Duke Nukem, and now he was Kratos, from the _God__of__War_series. As Jonathan Gatesworth, he'd designed Netshape as the result of a half-baked idea for his own video game franchise. Along with all the other established characters Gatesworth had programmed into the nanotech he was now infected with, he'd added Netshape to as well and used it as his default form.

Rolling out of the way of the balls and chains Netshape swung down at her, Spider-Woman sprang to her feet. Charging in at Netshape before he could raise his weapons again, she pounded him viciously and sent him staggering back. He swung his balls and chains at her, but Spider-Woman easily snagged them with her webbing and flung them aside. With his defenses wide open, Netshape couldn't avoid the sting blasts she threw at him, which blew him off his feet once again. Spider-Woman prepared to shoot her webbing at him, but he recovered with frustrating speed as he shifted into his Bomberman form. Throwing bombs all around him in a frenzy, Netshape forced Spider-Woman to catch them with her webbing before they hit anyone, which in turn left her wide open to be struck by another flung bomb.

The explosion blew her off her feet and left her badly burned, as Netshape laughed at her plight. He threw what he thought would be the final bomb, but now it was Spider-Woman's turn to recover more quickly than he expected as she caught the bomb with a webline and sent it flying back at him. Shifting into his Mario form, he blew it up with a fireball before it hit him, but the resulting explosion blinded him long enough that he didn't see Spider-Woman shooting her sting blasts at him. Worn down from the blasts he'd already taken, he couldn't react quickly enough to avoid the first, second or third blasts, all of which staggered him. The fourth blast, which he was belatedly trying to deflect with a fireball, hit him hard enough that he finally collapsed.

Sighing in exhaustion, Spider-Woman webbed up the unconscious Netshape. She felt a bitter sense of disgust rising up within her-even considering the supervillains she'd previously fought, she found the idea of committing wanton robbery and attempted murder simply to attract women to be uniquely stupid.

Worn down by her fight with Netshape and everything she'd had to go through that day, Spider-Woman wanted nothing more than to go home and get some rest. Unfortunately, she had to work at the coffee shop that evening, and so she needed to get home to get cleaned up, treat her injuries and change into her work uniform.

Unfortunately, what she didn't realize until it was far too late was just how much time she'd lost fighting Netshape. Mary Jane might have had enough time to webswing home, shower and eat, treat her injuries and then get back to the coffee shop in time for her shift if she'd done it all immediately after leaving the theatre, but by the time she finally arrived at the Empire State Coffee Shop she was almost half an hour late for her shift.

* * *

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Mr. Spencer," Mary Jane apologized profusely as she made her way into the kitchen. "I-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Mr. Spencer scowled angrily. "This is the eleventh time you've been late for work since I hired you! You've been completely unreliable!"

"But Mr. Spencer, it's not my fault-" Mary Jane tried to interrupt him.

"You're fired," he told her bluntly. "Go on, get out of here."

"No, please!" Mary Jane tried to plead, feeling sick to her stomach all over again. "I need this job! I'm going to lose my apartment!"

"You should have thought of that before you started showing up late and costing me business," Mr. Spencer rolled his eyes. "Maybe it you showed some responsibility, you wouldn't be in this mess!"

Despite her anger and tension, Mary Jane was remarkably calm as she left the coffee shop and headed for the bus stop.

Getting splashed for the second time that day by another speeding vehicle didn't shake her unflappably calm demeanor, nor did her having to ride the bus home filthy and wet.

Nor did she visibly react when she saw the eviction notice Mrs. Muggins had put in her and Kitty's mailbox.

It was only after she'd gotten home, and changed out of her dirty clothes for the second time that day, that she slumped down onto her bed and finally released all of her frustrations, her anger and her guilt as the tears began to flow.

(_**Next **__**Issue:**_ Mary Jane has lost her apartment and her job, and her grades, her acting career and her modeling career are all in miserable shape. As she struggles to get things back on track, she finds herself learning far more, both about herself and the people around her, than she could have ever expected. All this and more in _Spider-Woman__#36:__The__Way__You__Make__Me__Feel!_)


	40. The Way You Make Me Feel

Mary Jane Watson lay unmoving on her bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. She'd been in that same position since the day before, ever since her life had all but fallen to pieces around her. Her grades at school were absolutely terrible, she'd been sexually harassed by Roderick Kingsley, she'd been fired from her job at the coffee shop, her modeling career was almost certainly ruined, she'd lost the theatre role she'd been dreaming of since childhood, and she was about to be evicted from her apartment.

All of those things were just part of one much larger reminder-namely, her failure to live up to her responsibilities.

About all she seemed to be able to do right anymore was fight crime as Spider-Woman, and even now she was glad to be able to help people the way she did.

But that didn't help her deal with her other responsibilities.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #36

"THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL"

* * *

It was only after Kitty Pryde had headed out to do some errands that Mary Jane finally rose from her bed. Coming out of her room, she ate some breakfast, showered and dressed without saying a word. As she did so, she stared blankly ahead, as if she was in a trance. Her head felt strangely heavy. She didn't feel the same tension and stress headaches she used to, and indeed didn't feel much of anything beyond a dull weight in her mind. Mary Jane felt almost detached, watching herself go through the motions of leaving her apartment and starting to wander the New York streets as if she were in someone else's body.

She wasn't sure where she was going or how she was getting there, just that it was all she seemed able to do anymore. Looking around at the people she passed, Mary Jane didn't recognize any of them, and in fact she preferred it that way. She didn't think she could really face anyone she knew, not after the way she'd been screwing things up lately.

It was only when she'd gotten off the bus that she realized that she was passing through Midtown, surprisingly close to where she'd grown up as a child. Looking around in surprise, Mary Jane wondered what could have possibly led her back here. Then again, the answer probably wasn't too hard to figure out-as a little girl, at least she'd had an excuse for messing things up as badly as she had.

Mary Jane was dwelling on that thought as a voice called out her name. Looking up in surprise, she found that she had just passed by Peter Parker's house, and the person who'd called out to her was standing on Peter's front lawn. The person wasn't Peter, though-it was Peter's Uncle Ben, the man who'd raised Peter as his own son after Peter's parents had died in a tragic accident. He had been raking the leaves on his lawn when he'd seen her pass by, and was now coming over to join her.

"Hey there," Ben Parker greeted Mary Jane, who briefly smiled and nodded. "Were you looking for Peter?"

"What..? No, no I was just passing by," Mary Jane shook her head, speaking too quickly for Ben's liking. "Take care, I'll see you around!" she smiled briefly and nodded, but Ben caught her arm as she turned to leave.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked Mary Jane, concern in his voice as he saw the pained look in her eyes. In response, Mary Jane looked down and away, unable to face Ben.

"It's alright, I'm fine," she muttered as she tried to walk away, but Ben kept a firm grip on her arm.

"No, you're not," Ben shook his head. "There's something bothering you, I can tell."

"Really, it's…" Mary Jane trailed off. "…It's nothing you need to worry about," she finished.

"Maybe I don't need to worry about it, but I want to worry about it," Ben replied gently. "Did you want to talk about it?"

Mary Jane hesitated, not wanting to dump her problems on him.

"I was just about to go inside for some lunch," Ben continued, a smile on his face. "I could use someone to share my wheatcakes with…"

"…What about Peter?" Mary Jane asked.

"He's working at the _Daily__Bugle_today," Ben explained. "We usually have wheatcakes for lunch on Sunday, but half of them are going to go waste if he's not here."

That was when Mary Jane realized just how hungry she was.

"…Thank you…" she smiled back at Ben.

It was a small smile, one that still reflected the sadness on Mary Jane's face, but it warmed Ben's heart all the same.

* * *

"How are they?" Ben asked Mary Jane as she ate.

"They're really good," Mary Jane nodded gratefully as she finished her first plateful. She was a lot hungrier than she thought, and realized that she hadn't eaten any breakfast at all before heading out.

"Do you still want to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you?" Ben asked her again, more gently this time.

"Well…" Mary Jane began. At first she was hesitant, but she quickly found herself opening up to Ben as she told him about everything that had happened to her over the last couple of days. Even if she had wanted to, she couldn't have stopped herself once she started.

"I barely know what to do anymore," Mary Jane finally concluded.

"You sound like you're pushing yourself way too hard," Ben frowned.

"I know," Mary Jane said, recalling what her Aunt Anna had told her about her father Phillip and the disastrous consequences of his pushing himself too hard. "People have been telling me that, but every time I try to relax my conscience starts bothering me. I feel like I'm ignoring my responsibilities to everyone. If I don't do what I do, the guilt drives me nuts."

Ben thought on that for several moments.

"…What about your responsibilities to yourself?" he asked Mary Jane.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked, not entirely sure what he was saying.

"I mean looking after your own needs," Ben told her. "Taking time to relax and enjoy life, and look after your own health. You're making yourself miserable with the way you keep trying to do a hundred things at once. Is that really what your mother or anyone else would want you to be doing?"

"That's the thing, though," Mary Jane persisted. "If I don't make an effort to keep finding good-paying modeling and acting jobs, or working at places like the coffee shop, I'll lose my apartment and I won't be able to support my mom. That's exactly what's happened. I don't want to be sponging off Aunt Anna again!"

"Does your aunt consider it sponging if you stay with her?" Ben asked.

"Well…no," Mary Jane replied awkwardly. "Aunt Anna actually invited me to stay back with them, but it just wouldn't feel right. And my mother…" she trailed off again, recalling how Maddie Watson had taken charge and taken care of Mary Jane after her brutal beating at the hands of Jack O' Lantern, and how she'd taken charge again when the Constrictor had tried to kill the Watson family.

"What about her?" Ben asked curiously.

"She's so much better than she used to be," Mary Jane said slowly. "The therapy we got her has been working wonders."

"It sounds to me like you've already done plenty for your mother," Ben pointed out. "So why are you still beating yourself up over not doing enough to help her?"

"I…" Mary Jane stammered, unable to think of a reply.

"Whose standards are you trying to live up to?" Ben continued. "The unrealistic ones you're setting for yourself, or the standards other people actually have?"

Now it was Mary Jane's turn to think for several moments.

"But I can't just stand by and not do anything when people need help," Mary Jane said. "What if-"

"Who said anything about just standing by?" Ben interrupted her. "When it comes to being Spider-Woman, of course you're never going to ignore anyone who needs help. But other than that, you should just focus on what's really important."

Something about the way Ben was saying it made the weight lift from Mary Jane's mind, as her eyes began to sparkle with a new inner light.

"…You're right," Mary Jane finally said, "about everything."

Ben only smiled sympathetically back at her.

_She's just a kid, and she's already gone through more than anyone should ever have to, _he realized.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Parker," Mary Jane continued. "This means a lot to me. It really does."

"Who are you calling Mr. Parker?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "That just doesn't sound right."

Mary Jane thought on that for a moment.

"Thank you so much…Uncle Ben?" she tried again.

"That's more like it," Ben smiled paternally, as he hugged Mary Jane tightly. "You ever need someone to talk to again, my door's always open. Got it?"

"You bet," Mary Jane smiled back, pecking Ben on the cheek before she left the house and went on her way with a renewed determination.

* * *

Most of New York's supervillain criminals, when they were captured and convicted, were typically sent to a conventional prison. The ones without powers typically went to Attica Prison, while the ones with powers were typically sent to the Raft, a special wing of the Riker's Island prison. One thing the supervillain residents of Attica and the Raft had in common were that they had been found sane enough to stand trial. The villains who were found insane were instead dispatched to the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane. Ravencroft was meant to be a place where the insane villains could receive special psychiatric treatment, although in practice the vast majority of them were lost causes and had proven to be totally untreatable. Rather, they were locked here so they could be studied and monitored, with the intent of keeping them from getting back out into the wider world so they couldn't cause any more harm.

Dr. Karla Sofen was one of the therapists assigned to monitor and evaluate the supervillain criminals imprisoned at Ravencroft. Unlike the more austere middle-aged professionals who made up most of the rest of the staff, Dr. Sofen wasn't even thirty years old, her bright blue eyes, long golden hair and beautiful figure making her stand out from the other psychiatrists. In some respects, Dr. Sofen found her appearance very useful, particularly in that many of the male villains were more willing to open up to an attractive woman than an older man.

As she walked down the halls to see her first patient of the day, she heard his reedy, static-edged voice faintly singing. The singing became clearer as she arrived at the patient's cell and opened the door, looking down at the young man in front of her. He couldn't have been more than sixteen years old, but his youth didn't detract in the least from the manic look in his eyes, or his nightmarish appearance.

His hair was a bright bluish white, standing on end as if he'd been electrocuted. His skin was a deeper shade of blue, with wide streaks of red passing down the middle of his face, across his torso and over his arms, all of which gleamed with a metallic sheen. Most disturbingly, his entire body was crisscrossed with electrical wires threaded in and out of his skin like semi-exposed veins or stitching. When he spoke, his voice was thin and reedy, but crackling with an electrical edge to it.

_"You made a fool of me, but them broken dreams have got to end," _the creature sang. _"Hey woman you got the blues, cos you ain't got no one else to use. There's an open road that leads nowhere, so just make some miles between here and there. There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in, you took my body and played to win. Ha ha woman it's a crying shame, but you ain't got nobody else to blame…" _

"That's Electric Light Orchestra, isn't it?" Dr. Sofen interrupted the electrical thing as she sat down across from him. Formerly known by his name of Ronald Hilliard, he'd developed a bizarre obsession with the costumed heroine who called herself Spider-Woman and spent his entire trust fund to gain his bizarre electrical superpowers. He'd then tried to show his 'love' for Spider-Woman by murdering people who'd criticized her online, but she'd been disgusted by his actions and called him a sick freak. That had caused Hilliard, now calling himself Supercharger, to have such a psychotic break that he attempted to kill Spider-Woman herself, and he'd nearly succeeded until she'd subdued him in battle.

_"You're a classic rock fan?" _Supercharger raised an eyebrow, noticing her for the first time. _"I love them all-Paul Anka…Eric Clapton…the Police…they all speak to me. I feel like I can really identify with what they're singing about, you know?" _

"Are you talking about their music in general, or just specific songs?" Dr. Sofen asked curiously. "From what I've heard, you sing the few same songs over and over. The only Electric Light Orchestra song I ever hear you sing is _Evil__Woman._"

_"What the hell does that matter?" _Supercharger spat, an angry look crossing his face.

"The lyrics tell an interesting story," Dr. Sofen pointed out. "Anka's _Lonely Boy _is about a young man looking for love, Clapton's _Layla _is about a man who's fallen in love with a woman and is trying to tell her about his love and begging her to love him back, the Police's _Every Breath You Take _is about a man who develops possessive, obsessive feelings for a woman who doesn't know him, and ELO's _Evil Woman _is about a man who's angry over being jilted and exploited by his lover."

Supercharger sat and stared intently at her, his eyes flashing dangerously.

_"She made me look like a fool," _Supercharger finally muttered. _"I loved Spider-Woman and I thought she loved me, but then she publicly humiliated me after everything I did for her! I spent my entire trust fund so I'd have powers like her! I killed all of her critics! She was a goddamn tease! A TEASE!" _he screamed, his voice rising several octaves. _"She publicly humiliated me and called me a sick freak in front of everyone! Now I hate her! I HATE HER!" _he shrieked, bursting into tears as he finished speaking.

"Why did you think Spider-Woman loved you?" Dr. Sofen asked curiously.

_"She fought to protect me from that psychotic Jack O' Lantern at that high society party earlier this year,"_ Supercharger explained. _"Why else would she have tried to fight him? She knew I needed help…she was there when I needed her the most! But it was all a lie! Spider-Woman just did it so that she could embarrass me!" _

"You don't think she could have been trying to protect anyone else?" Dr. Sofen asked.

_"Of course not!" _Supercharger scoffed at the ridiculous assertion. _"My mother said the same stupid thing! She's just trying to make me feel bad about myself! She didn't understand! You don't understand! No one understands! I thought Spider-Woman did, but she was just making fun of me!" _

"Well then, help me understand," Dr. Sofen replied, as she wrote something in her notebook. "What do you want me to understand about you?"

_"I've just been so lonely all my life," _Supercharger said sadly. _"I have a lot of love to give, but I've never met anyone who ever really deserved it. Spider-Woman was the first girl I met who I actually felt that way about. She was the only person who was beautiful enough to really deserve me-everybody else is…well, they're so shallow and stupid!" _he spat in disgust.

"How interesting…" Dr. Sofen nodded. "So now you feel isolated and lonely, betrayed by the one person who you thought cared for you."

_"That's right," _Supercharger nodded. _"She broke my heart! And if I ever get out of here, I swear to God that I'm going to break her heart right back! If I can't have her, no one can! NO ONE!" _he screamed.

Dr. Sofen did well to hide her intrigue.

"We'll need to schedule some more sessions," she realized.

"Private sessions," she finished.

* * *

Mary Jane returned to her apartment to find Kitty eating lunch, glancing through a textbook as she caught up on some homework. Getting a glass of water and her schoolbag, Mary Jane joined Kitty at the table and they sat in silence for several minutes, working on their assignments. As she completed her homework, Kitty looked up and broke the silence.

"How'd things go yesterday, MJ?" Kitty asked.

"Not good," Mary Jane frowned, before she recounted the whole disastrous day. As Mary Jane spoke, the look on Kitty's face changed from disgust on hearing about Roderick Kinglsey's groping her to dismay at hearing that she didn't get the part of Eponine to sympathy at hearing that Mary Jane had been fired from her job at the coffee shop."

"Oh my God…" Kitty gasped. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I'll live," Mary Jane frowned, "but it looks like we're back to square one. You can't pay the rent on your own for another month?"

"No," Kitty shook her head. "Did you forget about the rent hike Mrs. Muggins gave us? The only way we could cover it would be with both our paychecks."

"Oh yeah, right," Mary Jane nodded. "So what are you planning to do?"

"I'm probably going to have to move back home," Kitty sighed. "How about you?"

"Same here," Mary Jane frowned, putting her head in her hand as she looked down at her school notes again. "It's going to be pretty crowded with my mom, me, Kristy and Aunt Anna all sharing the place, though."

"You're not beating yourself up about this, are you?" Kitty asked in concern. "Because you really need to-"

"Don't worry, Kitty," Mary Jane assured her. "I'm fine, really. And I appreciate your concern-you were right about my pushing myself too hard."

"Well, I'm just glad you're alright," Kitty replied. "So, you're…"

"I'm focusing on my studies from here on out, and probably just working when school is out, or if we really need the money," Mary Jane nodded.

"I'm glad to hear it," Kitty smiled. "And I want to thank you for your help before, MJ."

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked, her water glass halfway to her lips.

"I mean after those bigots trashed my dorm room," Kitty explained, "and you helped me find a place to stay. Even with everything that happened with Avalanche, and-"

"Hey, it's all good," Mary Jane assured her. "Besides, like I said before, it doesn't matter to me or to Kong that you're a mutant."

"And I've really enjoyed it here," Kitty smiled back. "Just don't forget, MJ-whatever happens, I've got your back."

"Funny, I could say the same thing to you," Mary Jane grinned.

They both burst into giggles.

* * *

Dr. Sofen's next patient was a man in his early thirties, a man who was widely considered to have multiple personalities for the way he continually argued with and yelled at himself. He rarely left his cell, particularly since the arguing between his personalities made him frequently go out of control during group therapy sessions or other outings, and so like Supercharger Dr. Sofen visited him in his cell. The man was tall and thin, a thick mop of wild brown hair framing his narrow face and bright brown eyes. Outwardly, he wasn't that unusual, although Dr. Sofen had continually noted how the light in his eyes changed depending on which personality was speaking at any given time.

As a supervillain, he had been known as the Brothers Grimm, a warped "performance artist" whose idea of putting on a show was to kidnap people, force them to watch his demented shows, and then rob them blind. His bizarre conjuration abilities were matched only by his outlandish attire-his last costume had consisted of a black and white striped Beetlejuice suit, a straitjacket worn as a vest, a jester's hat with bells and a grinning harlequin mask covering his face.

"Hello, nurse!" the Brothers Grimm leered at Dr. Sofen as she came into his cell and sat down. From past experience, Dr. Sofen had learned that this personality was the one that called itself 'Barton', and tended to be much more manic and outgoing than his 'brother' personality.

"Good morning, Barton," Dr. Sofen said calmly as she opened up her notebook. "And good morning-"

"Do you realize how hot you'd be in a nurse's uniform?" the Brothers Grimm grinned lecherously, before a sudden scowl crossed his face.

"Why do you have to be such a perverted fool all the time?" the Brothers suddenly shouted at himself once again, this time in a somewhat different voice. "The only things worse than your conjurations are your disgusting manners!"

"Good morning to you too, Percy," Dr. Sofen nodded with a smile. "Have you both been having a constructive dialogue the way I recommended?"

"I've been trying, but Barton won't listen," the Brothers Grimm replied in his 'Percy' voice. "All he does is sit here and think about how he's going to try and get revenge on Spider-Woman!"

"Revenge, my ass!" Barton shouted back. "I'm just trying to come up with some fresh material! And why wouldn't I think about how to involve Spider-Woman? She's our straight woman! And she's actually contributed to the act-all you do is piss and moan about how she hurt you, and how you're scared of me, and all that other whiny shit! You're holding the act back!"

"_I__'__m_holding the act back?" Percy said incredulously. "You never listen to any of my ideas for new material!"

"That's because all your ideas suck!" Barton snapped.

"A touch of the macabre sucks?" Percy asked incredulously. "The works of Dali, Goya and Munch suck?"

"They're not the kind of things our audience wants!" Barton replied as the Brothers Grimm shook his head.

"How do you know unless we try?" Percy asked, as a wicked grin began to spread across the Brothers Grimm's face. "Just imagine the chaos we could cause if we actually scared the audience, instead of focusing on childish-"

"And how would your idea affect your conjuration powers, Percy?" Dr. Sofen finally spoke up, having watched the Brothers' two personalities argue with the keenest interest on her face.

"We're capable of conjuring up much more than just warped fairy tale creations," Percy explained. "It all depends on which of us is in control."

"And that's me!" Barton interrupted. "I'm the one with our conjuration powers!"

"But if Percy were the one in full control, that would change, wouldn't it?" Dr. Sofen asked thoughtfully.

"Why are you asking this?" Barton asked her suspiciously.

"Simple curiosity," Dr. Sofen replied unflappably.

* * *

"Thanks again for your help, guys," Mary Jane said to Kitty, Randy Robertson, Bruce "Kong" McFarlane, Liz Allan, Ben Reilly and Harry Osborn as they sat in Anna Watson's kitchen that next weekend. Between them, they had helped carry the last of Mary Jane's belongings into her Aunt Anna's townhouse. Mary Jane, Liz and the guys had already helped Kitty pack her things and helped her move back into her parents' house, and now it was Mary Jane's turn.

"No problem," Ben assured her, before pausing to catch his breath. Taking a long drink of water, he went back to Anna's kitchen sink and filled his glass up again before taking another drink. "So, is your aunt charging you rent?"

"No," Mary Jane shook her head, still feeling a little guilty about that. "With the way things have been going, I really need to concentrate on school more than anything else."

"I get where you're coming from," Ben nodded. "Oh man, look at the time," he said as he checked his watch. "I've really got to go. Catch you all later!" he nodded to the rest of the group as he headed for the door.

Harry and Liz were the next to leave, followed by Kong and Kitty. Soon, Randy and Mary Jane were the only ones left, munching on apricots as they got a late lunch.

"Isn't your birthday coming up?" Randy suddenly asked her, as if out of nowhere.

"Well…yeah, it is," Mary Jane realized, having almost forgotten about it herself.

"December 3rd, right?" Randy continued.

"Yeah," Mary Jane blinked in surprise. "How did-"

"I asked Kitty," Randy continued, a smile crossing his face. "Since we haven't gone out in a while, I was wondering if you'd like to do something special for your birthday!" he grinned.

"You bet I would," she grinned back. "What did you have in mind?"

"You just leave that up to me," Randy asserted confidently. "All you need to know is that you'll enjoy yourself. I promise you that!"

"Sounds great," Mary Jane replied, smiling that perfect white smile that made Randy feel weak. "And I really want to thank you for everything you've done over the past year to help me out," she continued, coming over to Randy and wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Hey, it's my pleasure," Randy smiled back, returning the hug twofold. "Besides, it's no more than you would have done."

"Well…" Mary Jane frowned at that. "I'm serious, though-you've been like a rock for me."

"Believe you me," Randy assured her, reaching out and taking Mary Jane's hand in his. "It's meant just as much to me. More than you could know, in fact."

They stood in silence for several moments, before Randy winked at her and left, leaving Mary Jane feel lightheaded and lighthearted all at once.

* * *

"We're really glad you're back, Mary Jane," Anna Watson told her niece as they sat having coffee with Mary Jane's cousin Kristy and her mother Maddie Lieber-Watson that evening. "You seemed like you were having some real problems before."

"I kind of still am," Mary Jane sighed, before she explained to them about everything that had happened over the last few days, ranging from losing her job at the coffee shop to losing the role of Eponine to her failing her midterm exams to being sexually harassed by Roderick Kingsley. Anna, Kristy and Maddie's reactions went in turn from sympathy to horror as Mary Jane told them what happened.

"…so that's why I had to move back in here," Mary Jane frowned. "I'm sorry, but-"

"But nothing," Anna interrupted her. "We're glad you're back, MJ. And like I said before, don't worry about the rent-we just want you to focus on your schoolwork and take care of yourself," as Maddie and Kristy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you were putting too much pressure on yourself," Maddie reminded Mary Jane. "You've done more than your part, sweetie."

Mary Jane only smiled sadly, thinking of how many times everyone from Kitty to Anna to Kenny Anderson had been telling her that.

_Of__course,__I__was__too__headstrong__and__stubborn__to__listen,_she thought, shaking her head. _Not__anymore,__though._

"You don't-" Kristy interrupted, before she checked her watch. "Oh no!" she gasped. "It's time for _Dancing__With__the__Stars!_"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Anna ordered her daughter. "Let's go, let's go!" she urged Kristy as they ran out of the room, leaving Mary Jane and Maddie sitting by themselves.

"You're not joining them?" Mary Jane asked her mother.

"No," Maddie shook her head. "Are you?"

"No, I just want to take it easy tonight," Mary Jane sighed. "I've just had so much on my mind lately…"

"…I noticed," Maddie realized. "Maybe…" she paused.

"What is it, Mom?" Mary Jane asked curiously.

"Well, there were a couple of things I wanted to ask you about, but if you need a break…" Maddie paused again.

"No, I want to hear it," Mary Jane insisted, wondering if Maddie was starting to have problems again. "Are you-"

"No, I'm fine," Maddie interrupted her. "Now, are you really sure you're ready to hear this?" Maddie asked.

"When you say it like that, you know I won't be able to stop wondering what it is if you tell me," Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "So yes, I'm ready!"

Maddie hesitated for several seconds, as if gathering her courage.

"Okay…" she breathed, as if continuing to gather her nerves.

"Mom, what's the big deal?" Mary Jane pressed.

"I…" Maddie started, before hesitating once more. "…I know, Mary Jane," she forced it out with a considerable effort.

"You finally…know…what?" Mary Jane blinked in astonishment, before she felt a creeping realization of what her mother was talking about slowly rise up within her.

"…I know you're Spider-Woman," Maddie finally said.

Mary Jane just fell back against the couch, stunned by the revelation.

"You…know…?" she gasped. "How long did you know?"

"You remember when Anna, Kristy and I were kidnapped by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants?" Maddie told her. "And you saved us from Spiral?"

"Yeah…but how did you recognize me?" Mary Jane frowned. "My hair was black, and I was disguising my voice-"

"You didn't think I'd recognize my own daughter, even when she was in a costume?" Maddie shook her head. "Once I saw the way you moved and the way you spoke as Spider-Woman, I realized who you were."

"Why didn't you tell me before now?" Mary Jane asked curiously. "I mean, I probably should have told you, but-"

"I thought that you'd tell us when you were ready," Maddie explained, "and for a long time I would have had trouble mustering up the nerve to talk to you about it anyway. I still needed therapy, after everything your father put me through. I'm sorry, sweetie-I thought you'd want to do it yourself. I didn't want to force the issue. But now, with everything you've had to deal with, I didn't want you to have to deal with keeping the secret anymore."

"You knew I was risking my life as Spider-Woman, and you never tried to stop me?" Mary Jane asked in amazement. "It doesn't bother you that I'm…well…"

"Of course it does," Maddie said sadly. "Whenever I see you on the news as Spider-Woman, there's a part of me that gets incredibly worried. But then I remember how you helped us, and how you've been able to help so many other people with your powers. That means more to me than you'll ever know-when I saw what you were capable of doing, even after everything you had to go through growing up, I realized that I could deal with it too. It helped me gather up the nerve to get the therapy I needed."

"Well, it took me a while to really get over what Dad did to us," Mary Jane frowned. "The whole reason I originally became a superhero was just to spite him, because he hated them so much. It was the same thing with my powers-I thought I was a mutant, and so I figured I could use my powers as a way to stick it to Dad. I lost my temper a few times, and I was really lucky not to hurt any innocent bystanders."

"…So why did you keep doing it?" Maddie asked her.

"…That's what I've been asking myself over and over again," Mary Jane smiled sadly. "I mean, even with all the problems it's caused me, I just can't help myself when I see people who need help. People like Jack O' Lantern, Firebrand, Will O' the Wisp…they just remind me of Dad, picking on people who can't fight back. I always felt so angry and helpless when I saw what Dad did to you, wishing there was something I could do...I can't stand seeing people get hurt that way."

"And that's what you're doing now, isn't it?" Maddie pointed out. "You're using your powers to protect the people who can't fight back against these villains, because you actually _**can**_do something about it, can't you?"

"…Yeah, I guess I can," Mary Jane smiled.

"That's why I'm so proud of you, Mary Jane," Maddie said, leaning forward and hugging her daughter. "You've done so many things for so many people…I couldn't have asked for a better daughter."

As she sat there in her mother's embrace, Mary Jane felt all her troubles slowly fade away.

Today was a fresh start for her, and she was going to take full advantage of it.

(_**Next **__**Issue:**_ Things are looking up for Mary Jane, as she goes back to focusing on her studies, starts managing to balance her responsibilities and even finds new potential . However, there are darker signs on the horizon as Jack O' Lantern broods over his goal of revenge on his hated archnemesis. Even as Jack plans revenge on Spider-Woman, Moonstone weaves darker plans of her own, as the true extent of her crimes and her plans are finally revealed. To make matters even worse, Supercharger escapes from Ravencroft and goes on a rampage in New York, seeking to murder Spider-Woman for his past humiliations! All this and more in _Spider-Woman __Annual __#3: __Love __and __Hate!)_


	41. Love and Hate

"The thing to remember about crossing over," Dr. Curt Connors explained to his Biology class, "is that each individual chromosome exchanges some of its genetic information with another chromosome. Otherwise, you'd be inheriting every allele for the genes linked on the same chromosome from your parents. Crossing over allows for greater genetic diversity and the possibility that you'll inherit recessive genes from your parents."

The class eagerly nodded, their pens scratching as they noted what Dr. Connors was telling them. Dr. Connors was one of the most popular professors at Empire State University, his classes highly sought after by students because of Connors' skill at explaining complicated scientific principles to even the most scientifically untalented students.

"That's about it for now," Dr. Connors concluded as his students finished their note-taking. "We still have a few minutes-does anyone have any questions?"

Most of the students seemed satisfied with what Dr. Connors was telling them, although a few hands still came up. One of them belonged to a beautiful young coed with long fire-red hair and bright green eyes, a puzzled look on her pretty face as something suddenly seemed to register for her.

"Yes, Mary Jane?" Dr. Connors asked the young woman.

"Doesn't this crossing over stuff mean that no two gametes are identical?" Mary Jane asked. "I mean, if some alleles cross over but others don't, it seems like every sperm or egg is going to carry a different set of the parent's genes."

"You're exactly right, Mary Jane," Dr. Connors nodded, pleased with Mary Jane's question. "That's why, like I said, children can inherit recessive genes from their parents if they don't inherit a masking gene along with it."

"Nice observation," he finished with a smile.

Mary Jane only smiled back.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN ANNUAL #3

"LOVE AND HATE"

* * *

Returning home from school that afternoon, Mary Jane had to admit that it still felt weird living at her Aunt Anna's townhouse with Anna, Anna's daughter Kristy and Mary Jane's mother Maddie Lieber-Watson. Ever since she'd lost her apartment and had to move in with her family, Mary Jane hadn't felt entirely comfortable coming home, since she wasn't sure she was contributing enough to the family.

"Hi, MJ!" Kristy greeted Mary Jane, coming into the kitchen as Mary Jane was peeling some apples. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good," Mary Jane replied, handing one of the apples to Kristy. "How was yours?"

"Tiring," Kristy sighed. "I'm taking my SAT on Saturday. I've got to go out later tonight-some of my friends are having a study session. I swear, this is going to be the longest week of my life…"

"I know how you feel," Mary Jane frowned, remembering the grind of taking the SAT herself in high school. "I wouldn't worry too much, though-you're going to do great."

"I would if that was the only thing I had to study for," Kristy reminded her. "Remember, I have midterms next week too!"

"I feel your pain, believe me," Mary Jane assured her with a smile. "That's when my finals take place! And my grades haven't exactly been the best this year…" she trailed off.

"That's because you spent too much time working to pay for your apartment," Kristy pointed out. "You should have just moved back in with us when you lost your first apartment."

"Well…" Mary Jane frowned at that.

"Come on, MJ," Kristy rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you still feel guilty about coming back with us!"

"Well, I…" Mary Jane replied, not sure what to say.

"It's like Auntie Maddie said, you've got more important things to worry about," Kristy reminded her. "Besides, you did plenty to help her already."

"I suppose so…" Mary Jane smiled.

"And just for the record, I'm thrilled that you're here too," Kristy grinned widely. "You think I like being the one who always has to do all the housework around here?"

"Well, I suppose that's one way to earn my keep," Mary Jane laughed. "I suppose the other way is for me to let you borrow outfits that you like from me?"

"Now you know the price of admission," Kristy's smile became even wider.

* * *

Sitting in the visitor's section of the maximum security wing of the Raft, the section of Ryker's Island Penitentiary that housed supervillain criminals, Karen Reilly still had a hard time believing it. She was there to see her brother, Steven Mark Levins, who'd been exposed as the psychopathic mass-murdering costumed criminal Jack O' Lantern after his defeat by Spider-Woman. Levins had worn a ghoulish costume with gauntlets and boots crafted to resemble human bones, a chainmail vest that looked like it was covered in tiny skulls, and a hideous leering pumpkin for a head that glowed with holographic flames. His Jack O' Lantern attire had proven more than appropriate for the crimes he committed while wearing it, which ranged from bank robberies to hostage takings to killing sprees, all of which he'd cheerfully pled guilty to when he was finally brought to justice.

Karen had suffered a severe case of shock when she'd seen and heard the news. At first she hadn't wanted to believe it, but seeing Levins admit it on live television had been more than enough. Her home had been vandalized by people throwing rotten produce and dog crap at it, and she'd received a number of threatening phone calls and harassing letters from the friends and families of Jack O' Lantern's victims. Both Karen and her sister Danielle had been put through hell because of the actions of their brother Steven. The man they'd grown up with had been a sadistic monster, hiding his true nature behind words of love and support for his family.

The man himself entered the room, smiling widely despite the bleak weather outside. Steven Mark Levins was a rakishly handsome man, his muscled athletic figure, dark brown hair and finely honed face being the envy of men half his forty-three years. His face lit up with a twisted smile as he noted his visitor, nodding as he sat down on the prisoner's side of the visitor's panel. Karen noticed his dark eyes shone with a bizarre inner light, a hellish fire that sent chills down her spine as she truly looked into his eyes for the first time.

"Hello, Karen," Levins leered, smiling a twisted smile that made Karen shudder involuntarily. "Finally decided to pay me a visit?"

Karen did not reply, only staring intently back at him.

"Well, let's get on with it, shall we?" Levins rolled his eyes. "You're going to ask me why I did it, and I'm going to give my reason for the umpteenth time. I'm going to point out that I did it because I'm evil, because I'm not supposed to do it, because it's wrong. I've explained myself over and over again, and quite frankly I'm getting a little sick of it. So unless you actually have something new to say, don't waste my time, okay?"

"…Do you even know what's been happening to us?" Karen asked. "The vandalism? The harassment? Kitty being publicly outed as a mutant? Mom suffering a heart attack in the nursing home? Having to live in fear of retribution?"

"Yes, I have," Jack O' Lantern rolled his eyes. "So what? It just proves my point, really-those hypocritical bastards are finally showing what they're really like underneath their masks. If anything, I've inspired them! And as for living in fear…well, now you know how my victims feel…the ones I've left alive, at any rate," he burst into a chilling laughter.

"You don't even care?" Karen asked in horror. "Not even for Mom and-"

"No, I don't," Jack O' Lantern sneered, his eyes narrowing. "In fact, I'm happy to hear about what's happened. Is she…"

Karen blinked, and the tears that appeared in her eyes gave Jack his answer.

"She just couldn't stand to see what she gave birth to, could she?" Jack O' Lantern laughed. "Think about it, Karen-you're related to me, too. Can you live with that? Can you live with the fact that, for all those years, you grew up with a depraved psychopath? That all the time we shared those laughter and those tears, I fantasized about how much I wanted to cut your throat, blow your head off with Dad's gun, or simply beat you to death with my bare hands?"

Karen only paled, the tears flowing freely now.

"But you have to wonder-just how did I become such a monster in the first place? I mean, there was certainly nothing in our home life that could have ever influenced me to turn out like that! Maybe I was just born a bad seed! Just think, Karen-you and I share a common heritage, a heritage that turned me into what I am today. How do I know it isn't somewhere within you too, just waiting to come out…" Jack O' Lantern smirked.

"Stop it…" Karen pleaded her brother.

"Come to think of it, how do you know it isn't inside Kitty or Ben, or any of my other little nieces and nephews?" he continued mockingly. "After all, I'm not going to be around forever-I'm sure I could find one of them to take up my mantle after I'm gone…"

"STOP IT!" Karen screamed at him.

"Then again, they're probably all too pathetic and weak to really be worth training," Jack O' Lantern realized. "Quite frankly, I'd probably be better killing them all off. After the way you and Danielle have probably coddled them all, they wouldn't be any good to me anyway!"

Horror and revulsion filled Karen's mind as she stood up. Too disgusted to stay any longer, she felt a similar feeling of hate rise up within her as she stared at Steven Mark Levins.

"You're dead to me," she finally managed to spit at him.

Jack O' Lantern merely stared back at her, completely unimpressed.

"You seem to be under the mistaken impression that you were ever alive to me to begin with," he pointed out to his sister. "You've always been dead to me, Karen-you and our entire family. Be sure to remember that, if I ever get out of here. Maybe I'll pay you guys a little visit!"

He burst out laughing, a twisted, maniacal laughter that sent Karen fleeing from the room as the guards roughly picked Jack O' Lantern up and took him back to his cell, cackling all the way.

* * *

Dragged back to his cell, Jack O' Lantern reflected on his little visit with Karen.

It was really too bad that Kitty Pryde, Ben Reilly and the rest of his nieces and nephews might have had some potential at some point, but they'd been pretty much ruined by their idiot parents. Even if they did act on their dark sides, their spirits had been pretty much crushed long ago and they wouldn't last a week as costumed criminals.

That was the sad thing with this generation, Jack realized-their parents had drilled the civilized bullshit he so hated into their minds. He'd despised it in his own generation, and he continued to despise it among Generation Y. Hell, one of the few young people who seemed to have any kind of spirit was Mary Jane Watson, and…

…Jack O' Lantern felt the seething anger and hate rise up within him, the same way it did whenever he thought of the one person he hated more than any other in the world, the person who he most wanted to make suffer, the person he most wanted to crush and slaughter and murder…

That was the irony-the person he hated most of all, his archnemesis, was the one with the most potential. It was one of the things he hated most about Mary Jane, since as Spider-Woman she had managed to overcome her violent temperament and now settled for protecting weaklings like his family. And yet, he recalled just how violent Spider-Woman had been when she'd managed to beat him, fighting all the harder because he'd threatened one of her loved ones. She still had that same fire and passion within her, but she wasn't using it properly.

Killing Spider-Woman in cold blood definitely had its advantages, but what if there was another way to destroy her?

As he reflected on that, Jack O' Lantern also recalled the sad fate that had befallen the Tomorrow Legion, his attempt at creating a voluntary supervillain crime syndicate. The Legion had been taken over by Doctor Octopus, who used the other villains as pawns in his own personal schemes rather than coordinating the villains' activities to increase their profits and cause more mayhem, which was what Jack had specifically envisioned the leader's job to be. Because of his arrogance and mistreatment of his fellow villains, Doctor Octopus received no help from them when he was attacked and defeated by Moon Knight, and the Legion had subsequently disbanded.

The Legion had disbanded due to Octopus's arrogance and short-sightedness, but Jack O' Lantern was certain that he could reestablish it, thanks to his formidable reputation in the supervillain community.

Leaning back on his cot, Jack began to consider the possibilities.

* * *

The last week of November passed slowly for Mary Jane. When she wasn't studying for her own final exams, she was helping Kristy study for her own finals. While she got together with some of her friends for study groups, Mary Jane was otherwise almost a recluse. She didn't patrol as Spider-Woman, she didn't hang out with any of her friends, and she didn't even give any thought to her birthday on December 3rd.

So it was that, on the Monday of December 3rd 2007, Mary Jane found herself sitting in the exam room for the Empire State University. Compared to when she had taken her midterms back in October, she felt surprisingly relaxed and ready for the test. Ever since she'd moved back home, she hadn't had to worry about bills, finding new acting and modeling work, showing up on time to her waitressing job, or making the rent with Kitty.

_Mom was right, _Mary Jane realized as she worked diligently at the exam. _This did me a world of good…_

Mary Jane finished the exam with barely ten minutes to spare, but this time she was confident that she'd done a much better job than she had before. She still had some time before her next exam, so she headed for the Students' Union Building to get some lunch. On her way there, she heard a delighted voice calling out to her. Turning around in surprise, she smiled brightly as she saw the handsome figure of Randy Robertson coming towards her.

"Happy birthday, gorgeous!" he grinned at her, wrapping her in a hug as she came to greet him. "How's it going?"

"A lot better than I expected," Mary Jane smiled. "How about you?"

"It's going," Randy sighed. "My Poli Sci exam was murder. What did you have this morning?"

"English," Mary Jane replied, "and I have History this afternoon too."

"Ouch," Randy frowned sympathetically. "What do you have tomorrow?"

"Nothing, thankfully," Mary Jane shook her head. "I'll be able to take it easy tonight."

"So you're free tonight?" Randy asked, his expression brightening.

"I guess so," Mary Jane smiled back. "What did you have in mind?"

"What, you think I'm going to spoil the surprise?" Randy laughed. "Not a chance. Can I pick you up at six?"

"That'd be great," Mary Jane assured him, hugging him tightly. "Want to get some lunch in the meantime?"

"Sounds like a plan," Randy grinned, linking her arm in his as they continued on their way.

* * *

Randy's plans turned out to be a comfortable, relaxing dinner at the Argent Room. For Mary Jane, it would have been a lovely night on its own, but she could tell from the anticipatory look on Randy's face that he had other plans. She wasn't entirely sure what he wanted, although it was clearly something he'd been looking forward to for a long time.

Finally, once they'd finished their dinner, Randy gathered his courage.

"Your family doesn't mind my taking you out tonight?" he asked Mary Jane.

"Not at all," Mary Jane reassured him. "We aren't really going to do anything until the weekend after finals are over anyway."

"Oh, okay," Randy nodded, seeming to get a little flustered with his nervousness. Mary Jane reached out and took his hands in hers, gently patting them to reassure him even as she gave him an encouraging smile.

"Here goes," Randy finally said. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now, MJ-I just never got the nerve to do it until now."

"What's that?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"…Would you go steady with me?" Randy asked her. "You're just about the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, and when I'm with you I always feel…so…well…"

Mary Jane thought about it for a few seconds. As much as she cared for Randy, she also cherished her relationships with Ben Reilly and Mark Raxton, and wasn't sure if she felt more strongly about one of them than the others. On the other hand, Kitty Pryde had been entirely right when she pointed out that Mary Jane couldn't leave them all hanging like that. That was what Mary Jane had done in high school, never committing to any of the boys, always making sure to leave them wanting more. She owed it to Randy, Ben and Mark to make a choice.

"You don't have to decide right now," Randy assured her. "It's just that…you make me feel special in a way no other girl ever has. That's why I'm asking you this."

Mary Jane only smiled back.

"I'm flattered, Randy, I really am," she assured him. "And I really appreciate everything you've done for me too. I just need a little time to think about it, but I promise you, I won't leave you hanging."

"That's all I ask, MJ," Randy smiled back at her. "And whatever happens, you know that I'll always care for you."

"Just like I'll always care for you," Mary Jane smiled back, her eyes shining brightly.

* * *

Dr. Karla Sofen was known for her incredibly strong work ethic. When she wasn't holding sessions with her patients at the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, she was working diligently on her home computer. Tonight she was at home, typing away as she compiled and reviewed the notes she had from her most recent therapy sessions with her patients.

Out of all the insane superpowered criminals that she'd been assigned to treat, she found Supercharger to be one of the most interesting. Based on her one-on-one sessions with him, and what his parents had told him, the creature that used to be called Ronald Hilliard had always been a strange one growing up. Even as a little boy, he was isolated and weird, staring intently at both girls his own age and women twice as old as he was. He had no friends and didn't participate in any social activities willingly, only doing so when he was forced to by his family. Even then, his parents had always had to muster up the courage to drag him along, fearing the chilling look he gave them whenever they tried to force him to do something he didn't want to do.

Ronald's parents hadn't been sure how to handle it. He had never done anything illegal, so the police had never gotten involved. He'd never engaged in much social contact, and when he did he usually alienated and unnerved his peers. Nothing seemed to attract much interest to him, although in their sessions he had talked about having a "lot of love to give." He was also incredibly narcissistic, claiming that Spider-Woman had fought Jack O' Lantern to protect him, and only him, when Jack had attempted to rob that high-society gala. Ronald also angrily dismissed the notion that Spider-Woman might have been trying to protect the other people at that gala, too.

The thought that Spider-Woman had been trying to protect him was clearly the trigger that set Ronald off to turn himself into Supercharger and begin murdering people to "prove" himself to Spider-Woman. Now, given that Spider-Woman had "rejected" him, Supercharger was obsessed with punishing her for "breaking his heart". He also seemed to view her as rightfully belonging to him, and thought that if he couldn't have her, then by all rights no one could.

It was curious-Ronald had never displayed any of the traditional signs of psychopathy, such as bedwetting, starting fires or animal cruelty. However, he'd showed himself to be incredibly narcissistic, completely remorseless in his crimes, and displayed bizarre sexual behavior that had culminated in his obsession with Spider-Woman. All he'd been waiting for was something to trigger his deviant impulses, and then he took steps to act on them.

Dr. Sofen found it all so fascinating.

She might have determined how to treat Supercharger and help him deal with his issues, but where was the fun in that? She'd already learned so much from many of her other patients after they'd escaped and run amuck through New York City when Psyko had broken out of his cell and enslaved the rest of the asylum's inhabitants. Dr. Sofen knew that, in his current state, Supercharger was likely to go on a rampage if he somehow managed to escape from Ravencroft.

That'd be fun to watch, wouldn't it? Not to mention that it would a fascinating intellectual exercise. Dr. Sofen had always been fascinated by the motivations of criminals and whatever it was that led them to do the things that they did. Especially now, with the increasingly bizarre motivations and compulsions among superhuman criminals, conventional psychiatric theories and models were rapidly being discredited.

It was an exciting, revolutionary time in the field of criminal psychology, and Dr. Sofen was at the crest of it.

Pulling out her cherished moonstone pendant, Karla Sofen stared intently at it, admiring the way it caught and reflected the light.

* * *

Several days had passed since Mary Jane's birthday, and in that time final exams for the Empire State University Fall 2007 semester had concluded. Although finals had been a grind, Mary Jane had been much more prepared and better rested for them than she had been for her midterms. She hadn't needed to act as Spider-Woman all week, and her friends and family were using the Saturday following exams to throw her a belated birthday party.

First it had been brunch with Maddie, Kristy and Aunt Anna, followed by the presents they'd gotten her. Now, her friends were throwing her a party at the Argent Room. Everyone was there-Randy, Kitty Pryde, Ben Reilly, Liz Allan, Harry Osborn, Bruce "Kong" McFarlane, Julia Winhill, Kenny Anderson, Peter Parker and even Gwen Stacy. At first Mary Jane had felt a little guilty about it, especially when she'd learned that Harry had paid to reserve the room, but she had to admit that she enjoyed the attention. More than that, though, she was really enjoying the company-as much as she loved big parties and social events, there was really something to be said for a quieter, lower-key gathering with friends.

She laughed when Kenny jokingly proposed to her with a cheap costume jewelry ring, she gushed over Robert Pattinson and Daniel Radcliffe with Kitty and the rest of the girls, she got into an impromptu dance-off with Gwen, and began hatching plans for the shopping spree she planned to go on with the gift certificates several of her friends gave her as gifts.

It was while she sat down to drink some water, weary from dancing, that Peter Parker came to join her.

"Thanks for coming," Mary Jane smiled at him. "I really appreciate it!"

"Hey, it's my pleasure," Peter smiled back. "How are things going with…you know?" he asked, referring to her activities as Spider-Woman and the unique heritage they shared.

"Well, I've had to deal with a lot," Mary Jane smiled ruefully, "but you probably saw a lot of that on the news. Is Gwen having any problems after…well, what happened to her?"

"No, she's been doing really well," Peter grinned. "She's really looking forward to finishing her degree next year-she's going to try and get an internship at the police forensics lab next summer!"

Mary Jane only smiled back, happy to hear that Gwen was alright. Glancing over, Mary Jane saw Gwen earnestly discussing something with Liz and Kong, and really couldn't tell much difference between the fiery Gwen she'd seen before her kidnapping by the Goblin and the fiery Gwen she saw now.

"It's funny, isn't it?" Mary Jane realized.

"What's that?" Peter asked.

"It's been over a year since I became a superhero," Mary Jane realized. "Things have changed so much since then."

"I felt the same way after the first year that I became a hero," Peter nodded. "Hell, things changed for me more in that year than in all the time before that. I had to really grow up fast. So have you, I think."

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane blinked in surprise.

"Just look around you," Peter pointed out. "Could you really imagine having a party like this, with this many people, a year ago?"

"Well…" Mary Jane paused at that. "I mean, I did it all the time when we were at Midtown…but that was all just shallow socializing. I just did it to keep up appearances, and I never really let any of the guys get close to me. Here, though…"

"It's different, isn't it?" Peter noted.

"And it's better," Mary Jane realized. "I could do without the rogues' gallery, though."

"You and me both," Peter sighed in mock tones, before they both laughed.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you a better present," Peter apologized, "but Gwen only found out about the party yesterday and we had hardly any time to find something."

"It's no big deal," Mary Jane assured him. "Besides, you've already gotten me something way more valuable."

"What's that?" Peter asked in confusion.

"You're like the brother I never had," Mary Jane smiled at him. "You and Uncle Ben have been a big help to me."

"I'm just returning the favor," Peter grinned. "Remember how Bullseye and Boomerang had that contest to see which of them could kill me, and you stopped them?"

"Well, what did you expect me to do?" Mary Jane smirked. "I mean, if you got killed Gwen would have had to wear black to your funeral, and that's just not her color!" she joked.

They both burst into laughter at that.

* * *

The birthday party had been fun, but as mid-December approached Mary Jane knew she had to get back to reality. Free of any responsibilities relating to school, she now had some time on her hands. Not wanting to sponge off the rest of the family and knowing that she'd need money for next semester's tuition, Mary Jane had gotten a temporary job over the holidays to earn some extra money before going back to school.

Working as a Christmas elf in the Santa Claus display at Macy's Department Store wasn't exactly her idea of a dream job, however. She felt more than a little silly wearing a pointed red hat, a forest green smock, dark green tights and ridiculous curly-toed shoes with bells on the end of the curls, and having to introduce herself as 'Fairydust' to the parents and the children. In spite of that, she couldn't help but smile at all the eager little children and proud parents who were so eager to meet Santa.

Noon came and went on Mary Jane's first day without too much trouble. The lines were long, but most of the children were quite eager to meet Santa. Santa himself barely even needed any props, as he already had the plump body, thick white beard and jolly demeanor needed to play the part. One little boy, however, was screaming and crying as his flustered mother tried to drag him along. The mother tried to pick him, up, but he broke free of her grip and tried to run away. As he passed by Mary Jane, she quickly stepped out from behind the camera she was operating and knelt down in front of the boy.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Mary Jane asked the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't wanna go!" the little boy sobbed, tears in his eyes. He couldn't have been more than five years old, panicky and shaking as he looked around fearfully.

"You mean Santa?" Mary Jane said gently. "He's not going to hurt you."

"B-but he's laughing and…gosh, you're a pretty lady," the boy said, blinking in surprise at her.

"Thanks," Mary Jane giggled. "My name's Fairydust. What's yours?" she asked him.

"Sammy," the little boy replied.

"Nice to meet you, Sammy," Mary Jane smiled. "Why are you scared to sit on Santa's lap?"

"He looks and sounds really scary," Sammy said sadly.

"You don't need to worry," Mary Jane reassured him. "My mommy always took me to sit on Santa's lap when I was little. He was always really nice to me, too! He even gave me a candy cane and everything!"

"He did?" Sammy blinked in surprise.

"Of course he did!" Mary Jane said brightly. "Santa's not going to hurt you. Your mommy won't let anything bad happen to you," she continued.

It was as much how Mary Jane spoke as what she was saying that reassured little Sammy. Looking at her, Sammy felt a comforting sense of warmth coming from Mary Jane, as her kind smile and gentle tone of voice calmed him down.

"Promise?" Sammy asked.

"Promise," Mary Jane winked at him.

Sammy smiled back, and went back to his mother, who put him on Santa's lap.

* * *

The next several days were busy, but compared to the stress of preparing for final exams, being sexually harassed by Roderick Kingsley or fighting for her life against maniacal supervillains, it wasn't anything Mary Jane couldn't handle. If anything, she was settling into a more comfortable rhythm of working at the Santa displays during the day, and then Christmas shopping and/or socializing with her friends in the evenings after her shift was over. Remarkably, she hadn't encountered any supervillains for the last few weeks. Aside from stopping various non-powered robbers and petty thugs, Mary Jane hadn't even needed to act as Spider-Woman.

That all changed one day when a massive explosion rocked the far wall of the main lobby where the Santa display was set up. Electric lights exploded and burst, people screamed in terror and pain, pandemonium ensued as people ran in horror and lightning bolts exploded through the air. Above it all, though, there was a voice that all too familiar to Mary Jane. Her heart sank as she recognized it, and realized that it sounded more crazed than ever. The voice's owner had been dangerous enough in an open area, but in a crowded department store he was even worse.

Through the panicking crowds, Mary Jane could see him ranting and raving as he fired lightning bolts every which way. He was just as she remembered, with his bluish-white hair standing on end, his skin a deep shade of blue except for the bright streaks of red passing down the middle of his face, his open torso and his arms, even as it gleamed with a bright metallic sheen. His entire body was threaded with electrical wires that went into and out of his skin, resembling gruesome stitching. His costume was even the same-a dark blue sleeveless duster with matching silver lightning streaks down either side, black shorts and thick punk-rocker boots.

_"WHERE ARE YOU, SPIDER-WOMAN?" _Supercharger screamed as he fired lightning bolts, blasting people left and right. _"I KNOW YOU'RE HERE, YOU BITCH! GET OUT HERE AND FACE ME, OR SO HELP ME I'LL BURN THIS ENTIRE FUCKING MALL TO THE GROUND!" _he shrieked, almost out of his mind with rage, the charred corpses surrounding him a clear indication of just how far he intended to carry his threat.

Mary Jane's hands flew to her mouth in horror, as she frantically tried to find a place where she could change costume. Fortunately, in the mass of stampeding, panicking people, no one noticed her trying to run away.

That was something to be thankful for, at least.

* * *

His eyes glowing madly, Supercharger looked around as he threw electrical bolts left and right. He knew Spider-Woman had to be here-where else would a selfish, materialistic whore like her be on one of the biggest shopping days of the year? He'd managed to escape from the prisoner transfer that one of the doctors at Ravenscroft Asylum had arranged for him, and once he'd obtained a new set of clothes he had come straight to Macy's, where he suspected Spider-Woman would be. Even if by some strange circumstance she wasn't, it wouldn't take her long to arrive.

In their therapy sessions, Dr. Sofen had described the "rogues' gallery" phenomenon to Supercharger, whereby costumed superheroes tended to acquire a series of recurring adversaries. Supercharger was already aware of some of the other supposed members of Spider-Woman's gallery, such as the Brothers Grimm, who he'd met in group therapy. According to Dr. Sofen, if he managed to escape from custody and went on a crime spree, it was extremely likely that Spider-Woman would be the one who tried to stop him.

"Here I am, you monster!" Spider-Woman shouted, answering Supercharger's prayers. Yanked off his feet by a webline, Supercharger fell onto his back, his electrical bolts missing the bystanders he had been aiming at. Looking behind him as he got up, Supercharger saw Spider-Woman's gorgeous figure standing behind him, her long black hair flowing behind her and her red and gold costume and a disgusted look on her pretty face.

"_You don't know how much I missed you!" _Supercharger exclaimed venomously as he shot a double line of energy bolts at Spider-Woman, even as he burned the webline sticking to him off his body. _"I've been dreaming of this moment for every lonely night ever since you betrayed me!" _

Springing over Supercharger's energy bolts and shooting her webbing at him, Spider-Woman wasn't sure whether she should be more disturbed by what Supercharger was saying or what he was doing. He easily blasted away her weblines, and as she charged in at him his eyes flashed brightly. All of a sudden, electricity flared from the light fixtures above her and came down on top of her in a deadly lightning bolt. Screaming in pain, Spider-Woman was paralyzed long enough for Supercharger to blast her with a wave of his own lightning, before she finally managed to break free. Struggling to her feet, she barely managed to dodge as Supercharger fired another lightning blast that tore a large, ugly scorch mark on the floor where she'd been lying.

Looking around quickly, she saw that Supercharger advancing towards her. Using one hand to shoot webbing at him as a distraction, she used the other to snag a large prop from one of the mall displays and swung it at Supercharger. Giving a cry of surprise as he was knocked off balance, Spider-Woman used her bioelectric sting blasts to further disorient him as she charged forward. Punching and kicking him quickly, Spider-Woman tried to knock Supercharger out in much the same way she defeated him last time.

Unfortunately, Supercharger recovered more quickly than she expected, creating a defensive energy field around himself. As Spider-Woman came in for her next punch, she burned her hand on the field and recoiled with a cry. Supercharger quickly reached out and grabbed her arms, shocking her to keep her off balance, before pulling her forward in a tight embrace.

"_I'm insulted," _Supercharger sneered. _"Did you really think that same tactic would work twice?" _he asked her, channeling another wave of energy into her. Mockingly, he kissed her on the lips, charging another wave of power into her as he did so, before he let go. Grabbing her arms and spinning her around in the air, Supercharger sent Spider-Woman flying to smash into and through the glass display of one of the nearby stores, flying after her as she crashed into the glass and bounced off the mannequins she collided with.

Her entire body tingling painfully, Spider-Woman struggled to her feet once again, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she was in serious trouble, her muscles aching as she backflipped out of the way of Superchargers next electrical bolts. That wasn't her only problem, as she had to duck and dodge out of the way of the electrical blasts Superchargers was summoning from the various electrical appliances in the store, including the light fixtures, the cash registers and the electrical plugs. By some miracle, she managed to avoid being struck again, but she was tiring rapidly from dodging the electrical bolts that were streaking from every direction.

Supercharger was in a frenzy now, throwing lightning bolts at Spider-Woman from every direction. In that, Spider-Woman managed to try one last, desperate tactic. Instead of backflipping away from Supercharger, she immediately began leaping towards him, continuing to dodge the lightning bolts he shot at her. Finally, as she began to approach, Supercharger called one final, powerful lightning blast out from the light fixture she was about to pass under. As she twirled through the air, Spider-Woman fired her weblines and caught Supercharger, pulling him forward and above her so that he took the lightning blast instead.

Stunned by the force of the blast, Supercharger crashed to the floor. The electrical activity around him ceased as he lost his concentration, and before he could recover Spider-Woman struck him again with her sting blasts to keep him off balance. Picking him up, Spider-Woman gave Supercharger an especially hard punch that sent him flying back to crash into a display case, where he collapsed unconscious. Taking no chances, Spider-Woman wrapped him in a double layer of webbing before hauling him out for the police.

* * *

Dropping the unconscious Supercharger in front of the police, Spider-Woman walked past them to see the carnage Supercharger had wrought to lure her out. Burned bodies, destroyed displays, parents mourning their children, children mourning their parents, Christmas presents destroyed, all around her the holidays had become a nightmare. Her mind reeled at the horror, tears forming underneath her mask as she realized what Supercharger had done.

All around her, the mourning victims looked up at her, some of them with gratitude, and others with anger.

"This is your fault!" one man shouted, cradling the body of his badly injured wife.

"That maniac killed my son because of you!" a woman shouted, her eyes red from crying.

"I…" Spider-Woman trailed off, almost too horrified to move.

"She saved us from that maniac!" another woman interrupted the first. "He would have killed us all if Spider-Woman hadn't stopped him!"

"Bullshit!" the first woman snapped. "He didn't kill your son!"

"No, he killed my daughter!" the second woman scowled.

"And you're just letting her go?" the first woman asked incredulously.

"It wasn't her fault!" the second woman insisted.

Arguments were flaring up all around her, and Spider-Woman knew that her presence wasn't helping things. Springing into the air, she swung off to where she had hidden her elf uniform, doing her best to hold back the tears.

* * *

Returning to the half-destroyed Santa display in her elf uniform, Mary Jane didn't even notice that her many bruises, cuts and electrical burns made her blend in with the other badly injured survivors of Supercharger's attack. All she could think about was the fact that Supercharger had come here to try and kill her, and in so doing murdered at least a dozen people.

Worst of all were the crying children gathered in a small huddle near the display. One little boy was crying for his mommy and daddy, while another looked sadly at his father being taken away by the paramedics. Some of the other mall employees, as well as some of the customers and police officers, were already starting to distribute candy canes and hot chocolate to the kids. As the children ate, the adults sat down next to them, keeping them company until their family members-or in the worst cases, Child Services-could come and take them home.

Mary Jane did the same thing, passing out some cookies and cocoa to a group of worried-looking siblings who were holding one another.

It was all she could do.

* * *

"It was just…oh God," Mary Jane sighed as she recounted the entire nightmare to Randy at the Coffee Bean two days later. "Eighteen people were killed, and nine more died in hospital."

_And it's all my fault, _she realized guiltily. _Supercharger killed all those people to get to me…_

Her hands began to tremble involuntarily, before Randy reached out and held them. Almost immediately, Mary Jane began to calm down.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked her gently.

"I…I don't know," she admitted. "It's just…all that, to get back at Spider-Woman? It's insane!" she continued, her voice rising involuntarily.

"Of course it is," Randy reassured her. "People like Supercharger are just sick, Mary Jane."

"I…just don't know what to…" Mary Jane shook her head.

"You don't know what to say or do because you're just so horrified by it," Randy pointed out. "There's nothing to be ashamed of in that, Mary Jane. It's perfectly normal."

She only looked back at him with a sad smile on her face. Mary Jane felt so much better after talking to Randy about the problem, just like he always had been. He treated her like a princess, a queen, a goddess, and all with a loving smile and ready support.

That was when she made her decision.

"Would you walk me home?" Mary Jane asked him as they got up. "My injuries still haven't quite healed," she explained.

The bus ride home was uneventful, as was the walk up the steps to Anna's townhouse. As they reached the door, Randy turned to leave.

"You're not coming in?" Mary Jane asked, opening the door.

"No, I've got to get home," Randy shook his head.

"Please, can you come in for just a moment?" Mary Jane asked him.

"I…oh, all right," Randy sighed, following Mary Jane into the house. As he looked around, he found that he was standing underneath a mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Spinning around, Mary Jane immediately caught him in an embrace before he realized what was going on.

"Mary Jane…?" he trailed off in surprise.

"Remember what you asked me before?" Mary Jane asked him.

"Yeah…" Randy replied, surprise giving way to a rising sense of joy.

"Here's my answer," Mary Jane replied, as she drew him in for a long kiss.

"You've done more than I could have ever asked, Randy," Mary Jane whispered, still holding him in that tight embrace. "I just wanted to say thank you…"

Randy more than returned Mary Jane's hug, and they stood there in a warm embrace for several moments. Finally, they let each other go, as Randy turned around and left.

They'd arrived at Anna's townhouse as friends, but as Randy left he and Mary Jane were much, much more.

* * *

Dr. Karla Sofen left the board meeting at Ravencroft Asylum, quite pleased with herself. Everything had worked out as she'd hoped, with Supercharger's rampage giving her some new and additional insight into the recidivism of career criminals. Having Supercharger moved to another facility had been her idea, of course, as had disabling the power-restraining shackles that kept superpowered criminals from using their powers to escape confinement. It had worked once before with the Chain Gang, who'd later murdered the wealthy Morgan family and absconded with their $70 million fortune.

Not that Dr. Sofen was foolish enough to arrange these releases herself. Most of the other staff members at Ravencroft were avid coffee drinkers, and it had usually been a simple matter to slip her special mind control drug into their coffee. Her specially tailored formula made the drink somewhat bitter, but that was a small price to pay for making whoever drank it completely and totally obedient to her will. It was how she had forced the other doctors at Ravencroft to enable Supercharger and the Chain Gang to escape, not to mention hypnotized Dr. Ashley Kafka into disabling all of the locks on Ravencroft's cell doors, power-restraining shackles and outside communications, allowing Psyko to organize the mass inmate breakout and lead the superpowered inmates of Ravencroft to cause the destructive riots in New York City.

It came back to the reason that Dr. Sofen had become a criminal psychiatrist in the first place, namely her fascination with the way psychotic monsters like Supercharger, Psyko and the Chain Gang tended to think. The stories of people like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy intrigued her-she wanted to know what led them to do the things they did, why they found them pleasurable and what they were thinking when they committed their unspeakable crimes. She was especially fortunate in that her career had begun at the same time as costumed supervillains had first begun to appear.

If killers like Bundy and Dahmer were fascinating, the likes of Electro, the Brothers Grimm and Mister Hyde were even more so. Their motives and psychology were frequently as bizarre as their attire, often committing crimes as much for the horror and destruction they could cause as for the monetary gain. Even if the villains were capable of using their talents legitimately, many of them simply chose _not _to.

Dr. Sofen found it all so compelling.

Studying them just wasn't enough, though. More and more, Dr. Sofen had wanted a firsthand look at seeing what supervillains saw, and feeling what they felt. What better way to truly analyze what the supervillains were thinking than to actually become one?

Hence the unique opportunity that had come when Lloyd Boch, alias Moonstone, had been given over to her care. He'd become a costumed criminal after finding a mysterious golden pendant that he claimed came from the moon, and battled the Incredible Hulk and Captain America with the power it gave him. However, he would eventually be tortured by the Red Skull for his failures, to the point that simply possessing the pendant had made him an insane, twisted wreck. He'd thought that the pendant wouldn't come off, and that he couldn't get rid of it, but it had been a simple matter to make him realize that it wasn't the case, and get him to give up the pendant. Driving him further into madness so he wouldn't be able to tell anyone what she'd done had been simpler still.

Her first plot, kidnapping those people and then forcing their loved ones to let her monitor their biorhythms to see how they reacted when their loved ones were in danger had been her first scheme. Money hadn't been a problem-she'd merely drugged the head of Ravencroft to embezzle the funds she needed for her monitoring equipment, and then have the devices set up to remotely broadcast the data she recorded back onto her home computer. Spider-Woman had prevented her from killing her hostages, although she'd achieved everything she wanted.

Dr. Sofen, or Moonstone as she'd come to call her costumed alias, had been even more thrilled with Jack O' Lantern's insightful idea of the Tomorrow Legion. Supervillains had gathered in teams before, like the Sinister Six, the Frightful Four and the Masters of Evil, but all of those had been hierarchical organizations with a single goal in mind. The Legion, on the other hand, was more an ongoing, coordinated exercise in supervillains combining their efforts to maximize not only their profits but the suffering and mayhem they were able to cause.

That had been Jack O' Lantern's initial intent for the organization, although after Spider-Woman had defeated him the Tomorrow Legion had been taken over by Doctor Octopus, who ran it like a more traditional supervillain team. The resentment generated by the other villains, who expected to be treated like collaborative partners rather than simple henchmen of the arrogant and condescending Octopus, meant that none of them raised a finger to help him when he'd been defeated and captured by Moon Knight. As of now, with both Jack O' Lantern and Doctor Octopus behind bars, the Tomorrow Legion was for all intents and purposes dead.

Or was it?

The Legion existed as a concept among the supervillain community now, an idea that any sufficiently charismatic villain could use to get his fellow costumed criminals to support him…or her…in carrying out the leader's plans in exchange for greater profits and greater pleasure in the destruction they caused.

There was a vacuum in the criminal underworld right now, Dr. Sofen realized, and nature abhorred a vacuum.

Within her mind, she saw the possibilities open up before her.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Having officially become a couple with Randy Robertson, Mary Jane must immediately decide whether to tell him about her crimefighting alter ego. As she wrestles with this dilemma, she also faces another one when she becomes increasingly blamed for the death and destruction wrought by Supercharger at Macy's Department Store. That may well be the least of Mary Jane's problems, as Dr. Karla Sofen hatches a plan to resurrect the Tomorrow Legion! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #37:I Am Legion!_)


	42. I Am Legion

Yawning as she got out of bed, Mary Jane Watson pushed back her long red hair and took a moment to admire herself in the mirror. Ever since she'd moved back home and become a couple with Randy Robertson, her stressed and harried demeanor had been replaced with a new brightness and warmth, as her eyes sparkled with a vibrant green light. Surrounded by her friends and family, Mary Jane had begun to enjoy life once again.

Getting showered and dressed, Mary Jane came downstairs to the kitchen, where her mother Maddie, her Aunt Anna and cousin Kristy were already cooking breakfast. Gathering up some toast and orange juice, she sat down to read the _Daily Bugle, _when she saw the front page story.

The _Bugle'_s lead story described the people who were still in the hospital from the electrically-powered psychopath Supercharger's rampage at Macy's Department Store. Although the heroic Spider-Woman had managed to eventually defeat Supercharger, he'd murdered several people and sent many more to the hospital before she could stop him. Supercharger had originally tried to demonstrate his "love" for Spider-Woman by killing several people who'd criticized her online, although his "love' had turned to an insane hatred when the disgusted Spider-Woman had rejected his attempts to win her affection. That was the whole reason Supercharger had attacked Macy's, namely to force Spider-Woman to fight him so he could kill her for rejecting him.

Mary Jane would have been horrified and saddened by what had happened to Supercharger's victims no matter what. In this case, though, their suffering was doubly painful to her, given that she was the spectacular Spider-Woman and she was the reason that Supercharger had hurt all those people. She couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened to them, particularly in that she hadn't been able to stop Supercharger before he hurt them.

Pushing her chair back and getting up from the table, Mary Jane hastily made her way back upstairs as she struggled to keep calm.

She'd woken up filled with happiness at how well things were going for her, but it still didn't take much to bring Mary Jane crashing back to Earth.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #37

"I AM LEGION"

* * *

Doing her level best to hold back her emotions, Mary Jane didn't hear her mother Maddie coming into the room. Sitting down next to her daughter, Maddie put her arms around Mary Jane's shoulders in a comforting hug.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Maddie asked gently.

"That headline in the _Daily Bugle_," Mary Jane muttered sadly.

"That was pure bull," Maddie shook her head. "I mean, how could the paper possibly blame-"

"You don't understand," Mary Jane interrupted her, before explaining about her first encounter with Supercharger and the whole reason he'd become a supervillain in the first place.

"He killed all those people to get to me," Mary Jane concluded, unable to look her mother in the eye. "It's…I feel like it's my fault…"

"No it isn't," Maddie said firmly. "You did exactly what you needed to do, Mary Jane-Supercharger is the one who chose to kill all those people. Who's to say he wouldn't have just gotten obsessed with some other woman if he didn't focus on you?"

"I know, but…" Mary Jane trailed off. "He's not the only one of my enemies who'd do something like that to get back at me, either. Jack O' Lantern actually knows that I'm Spider-Woman! He already went after Dad to hurt me-what if he goes after you, Kristy or Aunt Anna?"

Maddie frowned at that, trying to think of what she could say to Mary Jane even as she tried to keep her own worries under control.

It was then that Mary Jane remembered what she'd told herself the night she'd finally defeated Jack O' Lantern and brought him to justice.

"It's the same thing with Supercharger," she realized.

"What do you mean?" Maddie asked in confusion.

"I used to worry about what Jack O' Lantern would do if he ever got out of prison and tried to get back at me," Mary Jane replied. "But I realized that if I spent all my time looking over my shoulder and didn't enjoy life, he'd win a small victory. Just like with Supercharger-if I spend all my time obsessing about him, he wins."

"Exactly," Maddie told her. "You ready to go back downstairs?"

"Yeah, I guess," Mary Jane replied with a sad smile.

She continued to put on a brave face, and rationally she knew she was right.

Even then, the doubts and the guilt continued to linger at the back of her mind.

* * *

The Bar With No Name was renowned among the New York criminal class as perhaps the finest establishment in New York that catered to their kind. High class mobsters, costumed supervillains and vicious gangbangers came here to make deals, spend their ill-gotten gains and conduct business. The Bar served as a drinking establishment, a strip club and a brothel depending on its clientele's needs, and was considered strictly neutral ground for all the criminals in New York. Although the Kingpin was the bar's owner, independent supervillains and members of New York City's other crime syndicates were still regular customers.

One of the supervillains who entered the bar was a slender young woman in bright gold body armor, accented with a silver helmet, facemask, gloves and boots. Her long blonde hair fell down past her shoulders through an opening in the back of her helmet, and she carried herself with the practiced ease of someone who'd become accustomed to her role in a very short time.

Looking around at the crowd and ignoring the leers and wolf whistles she was receiving, Moonstone soon found what she was looking for. Three costumed criminals, each one more bizarrely clad than the last, were sitting drinking at a table. One of them was a tall and muscled Hispanic man with dark brown hair and a matching goatee, clad in a jaguar-patterned vest and pants, dark blue boots, and gauntlets with wickedly-edged claws on the fingertips. The second one was a man dressed in dark blue and silver body armor, wearing a ghoulish skull mask on his face and a voluminous purple hooded cloak. The last person at the table was a petite woman with dead white skin, clad in a strange outfit of thick blue material, with a white hood, cape, gloves and boots, all of which were made of fake fur.

Moonstone recognized Jaguar, Mr. Fear and the Ice Princess from their activities as part of the Tomorrow Legion, and so she was unfazed as she sat down to join them with a Pina Colada in her hand. She noted that the other three villains were quite pleased to see her, and with the way they easily resumed their conversation after she'd sat down indicated that they were probably glad that she was there.

_"You're back to freelancing?"_ Mr. Fear shook his head in disappointment at Jaguar. _"Once again, your're at the mercies of the crimelords. And you,"_ he said, turning to the Ice Princess, _"you're back to robbing banks. Even when you steal more lucrative items, you have to contend with the extortionate rates charged by the fences who resell the goods for you! I know you have a taste for higher end merchandise, but that makes it all the harder to sell!"_ he pointed out.

"It's still better than being treated like a lackey by Doctor Octopus," the Ice Princess spat in disgust. "Jack O' Lantern promised us that we could cause more mayhem and make more money than ever, and look what happened when Octopus took over."

"You guys are talking about the Tomorrow Legion, right?" Moonstone spoke up. "I know just how you feel-Octopus made me recover that Enervator for him, and what did I get out of it? Nothing!"

The disgruntled scowls and nods told Moonstone that she'd quickly won them over.

"At least the crimelords pay up when you get the job done," the Jaguar muttered darkly, his moustache twitching in aggravation. "But competition for jobs is fiercer than ever these days. A lot of the old-school killers are becoming supervillains just so they can stay in the game…"

"That was the thing I really liked about the Tomorrow Legion," Moonstone replied, putting just the right tone in her voice so it sounded as if she suddenly realized it. "We were in charge. We got to keep all the money, and we got to call all the shots-"

_"Except that Doctor Octopus ran it like it was the Sinister Six,"_ Mr. Fear interrupted her in a rasping voice, _"and it all fell apart. Jack O' Lantern had the right idea to start with!" _

"Isn't that because he actually stuck to what the Legion was originally meant for?" Moonstone asked. "I mean, I wasn't part of the Legion's first crime spree, but didn't Jack always try to get input from the rest of the group and coordinate their plans?"

"No, you're absolutely right," the Ice Princess pointed out. "We were able to come and go when we chose, we could keep working for the other crime syndicates, we could freelance or just continue robbing and killing by ourselves. We were in control!" she snapped, her eyes gleaming brightly.

"Well then, who says the Legion is really dead?" Moonstone asked the other criminals seated around the table. "It's as much a concept as anything. I mean, couldn't someone bring it back if they wanted?"

Moonstone noted the looks of interest on the faces of Jaguar and the Ice Princess, and knew that they were both thinking about what she'd just said. She couldn't make out Mr. Fear's expression behind his impassive skull mask, although the way he suddenly looked up in the air implied that he was also giving the matter serious thought. He'd been one of the villains who'd applied for the leadership of the Tomorrow Legion when Jack O' Lantern had first proposed it, and although he'd lost the vote he was no doubt eager to revive the Legion on terms more suitable to him.

Moonstone did well to suppress her smile.

If Jaguar, Mr. Fear and the Ice Princess simply discussed it with the rest of the supervillain community, she could continue to discuss the Legion with other supervillains and get more and more of them to spread the word. Doing this would reinforce her in their minds as the person most associated with the Legion.

If Mr. Fear or another villain decided to be more proactive and reestablish the Legion themselves, so much the better.

* * *

"Do you think we should tell Aunt Anna and Kristy about my being Spider-Woman?" Mary Jane asked her mother as they ate dinner later that week. Kristy had gone to a football game her high school was playing in, while Anna was out visiting a friend from her college days who'd recently moved back to New York.

"I don't know," Maddie shook her head. "Do we really want them worrying about you?"

"Yeah, but isn't it unfair that you know, but they don't?" Mary Jane wondered. "And what about Randy or Kitty, or any of my other friends?"

"The problem with a secret is that it's not a secret anymore if you tell everyone," Maddie reminded her, rubbing her chin at the thought. "You'd have to trust every one of them with your secret identity. Are you really willing to do that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Mary Jane blinked.

"What if they accidentally let it slip one day? What if one of them gets angry at you and exposes you out of spite? What if one of them is forced to give up your secret to a criminal? And they'd be stressed and worried about you all the time-is it really worth putting them through that?" Maddie pointed out.

"But I put you through it," Mary Jane frowned.

"You never intended to," Maddie reminded her. "I just found out by accident. And I can't stop you from doing this-I know how much it means to you," she finished. Neither Maddie nor Mary Jane needed to be reminded of the abuses they'd suffered in Phillip Watson's broken home, and the role it had played in driving Mary Jane to assume her costumed identity.

Mary Jane gave that no small amount of thought. The last thing she wanted was to give her friends and family any more cause to worry. And for that matter, how many of them really understood why she needed to fight crime as a superheroine? Aunt Anna and Kristy probably would, but Mary Jane still found herself hesitating when she realized how much they might worry about her.

And then there was Randy. He'd always been there for her when she needed him, helping to keep her spirits up when she was having problems and always providing a sympathetic ear. Mary Jane knew he'd probably understand why she fought crime as Spider-Woman, although again she realized he might worry about her.

Mary Jane was at a loss as to what to do. She realized that her mother had a point about the risks in telling other people her secret, but she didn't feel right keeping secrets from her loved ones. Randy, Aunt Anna and Kristy especially weighed heavily on her conscience-they were more than just friends to her. If her mother knew about her secret, then why couldn't they?

She needed to test the waters, at least.

* * *

It was all Vince Gonzalez could do to avoid throwing his remote control through the TV. Every time he turned it on, no matter what he was watching, the only thing he saw was Spider-Woman. She was the only thing he'd managed to see ever since he'd heard about Supercharger's killing spree at Macy's Department Store. Once again, Supercharger had run amuck because of Spider-Woman. The only difference between this murder spree and his second one was that he'd done the first one to try and show his perverted "love" for Spider-Woman, and the second one was to force Spider-Woman to fight him at Macy's.

He'd still been overseas in Iraq when he'd heard about his sister Michelle's murder by Supercharger. Michelle had previously criticized Spider-Woman on her anti-superhero Internet message board, and Supercharger had fatally electrocuted her as a way of getting Spider-Woman's attention. Despite all his efforts, Vince hadn't been able to get back in time for Michelle's funeral, as their parents were so desperate to get it over with that they'd buried Michelle as soon as they could.

Mom was never the same after being the one to find Michelle's burned corpse on the ground. Dad tried to take care of her, he really did, but with his asthma there was only so much he could do. By the time Vince managed to muster out of the army and come home to the U.S., the damage was already done. Mom had suffered a complete nervous breakdown, and Dad had suffered a fatal attack without Mom to help him.

Now he saw Supercharger going on another murder spree related to Spider-Woman, this one at Macy's. Parents lost their children, children lost their parents, the holidays turned into blood and death. So many more people were experiencing the suffering, the pain and the loss that Vince had.

All because of Spider-Woman.

* * *

With the rise of costumed supervillains in society, criminologists had debated endlessly about the impact they were having on the crime world and the justice system. One of the most heatedly-debated topics was how costumed criminals differed from their non-costumed colleagues.

Tanya Sealy knew that, in some ways, costumed criminals were really no different than villains who didn't wear fancy Halloween outfits. In her career as a call girl, successful criminals with money to burn had been some of Tanya's best customers. Supervillains who'd just pulled off a successful bank robbery or assassination had employed her services time and again, and they typically paid better than a typical street hood or mob thug.

Tonight Tanya was preparing for the arrival of one of her favorites, lighting the candles in the darkened hotel room and wearing a Christmas-themed teddy. She was no older than her mid-twenties, although Tanya already had more worldly experience than most women twice her age. Soft music played in the background, which Tanya used to get her customers in the right mood. Not only did they typically have more pleasure when they were relaxed, but they also typically paid out more money than they would have otherwise.

The knock at the door came just as Tanya had lit the last candle. Opening the door, she saw him standing there expectantly. He was impeccably dressed in a sharp suit and tie, carefully groomed and coiffed, the image of a perfectly respectable businessman. The only thing that suggested otherwise was the large briefcase the man carried, which rattled slightly as he put it on a table.

He found his appearance rather useful, particularly when it came to escaping the police. After all, no one would ever question such an upstanding and decent member of society!

"I'm not late, am I?" Davis Lawfers asked Tanya as he sat down and begin to undress.

"No, you're right on time," Tanya assured him. "How'd it go?"

"Pretty good," Davis grinned. "Vincent Mangano never knew what hit him. What about you?"

"It's been…alright," Tanya hesitated.

"What do you mean?" Davis asked, noting the pause in her voice. "Jesus, Tanya…" he trailed off, noting the bruises on the lower parts of her body. "What the hell happened to you?"

"It's…nothing," Tanya shook her head.

"Bullshit, it's nothing!" Davis said in concern. "Who did this to you, Tan?"

"It doesn't matter," Tanya insisted.

"Yes, it does!" Davis said, taking Tanya's hand in his. "You can't let them do this to you!"

"They're paying customers!" Tanya argued.

"That doesn't give them the right to treat you like a fucking punching bag!" Davis snapped, his voice rising in anger and concern. "Now, **who did this to you?**" he demanded again.

"What are you going to do if I tell you?" Tanya shot back. "You're going to kill him, aren't you?" she asked Davis, glancing towards the briefcase on the table.

"…Not if you don't want me to," Davis sighed, although he wasn't the least bit happy about it. "I'm just worried about you, Tan. You deserve better than this."

"Oh really?" Tanya asked sarcastically. "What, you think you're going to pull a _Pretty Woman _on me? Like that's really going to work!"

"No Tanya," Davis shook his head. "I'm just saying that…" he trailed off.

"Maybe, if I talk him into it…" Davis muttered to himself.

"What are you doing?" Tanya asked him, frowning.

Davis hesitated for several minutes, realizing just how crazy he was for even thinking about it.

"Why don't you join us?" Davis finally mustered the nerve to spit it out.

"…**Join** you?" Tanya asked him incredulously. "I'm an escort, not a killer!"

"You mean the way you didn't kill those johns who got too violent with you?" Davis pointed out. "Besides, we've had an opening ever since 8-Ball killed Black Mamba," he explained, referring to a failed operation where some of Davis's fellow mercenaries had been unable to protect the Lobo Brothers' heroin shipments from the costumed supervillain 8-Ball, who'd been hired by the Kingpin to destroy the shipment.

"But…God…you guys are murderers," Tanya's mind reeled at the thought.

"So are most of your other customers," Davis explained. "Think about it-do you really want to spend the rest of your life dodging punches from middle-aged perverts old enough to be your father?"

Tanya and Davis both recalled how she'd looked after her last session with Phillip Watson before his murder.

"Not to mention that, once you lose your looks, it's pretty much game over," Davis continued. "We make better money over a longer period of time. You, of all people, should know the kinds of nest eggs supervillains build up!"

Tanya thought about that for a long time.

Joining the Serpent Society was about the last thing she'd ever considered, but then she already knew several of them. She'd serviced Cottonmouth, Rattler and King Cobra, and now Copperhead was offering to make her a member.

"I don't have any superpowers," she pointed out. "And I don't have much training, either."

"So?" Davis shrugged. "We can get you some powers, if you want. As for training, I can train you. Besides, you already know how to take care of yourself."

Tanya only blinked at that.

* * *

"There really are two of you in there, aren't there?" Dr. Karla Sofen asked the Brothers Grimm thoughtfully as her patient frowned. "Not just two personalities, but two actual people literally sharing one body. How is that even possible?"

"It's chimerism," Percy Grimes explained.

"Of course it is," Dr. Sofen nodded. "But this is all but unheard of. It's a miracle of modern science!"

"Even if these types of things are becoming more and more commonplace these days?" Percy pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "The fantastic turns into the mundane. It's a common theme throughout history."

"How true," Dr. Sofen nodded. "And I must say I'm surprised-you show an intellectual side that Barton decidedly lacks."

"He's an overgrown child," Percy spat in disgust. "All the power we have, and he wastes it on conjuring twisted childhood nightmares to scare people with. Disturbing, yes, but not truly terrifying!"

"And what would you do if you were the one in control?" Dr. Sofen asked. "You've seen how I can hypnotize Barton into submission. What if I were to hypnotize him into yielding control of your powers to you?"

"Then I could finally indulge some of my own ideas," Percy grinned. "Ever since we first encountered Spider-Woman, I've come more and more to realize that Barton had the right idea. In fact, I rather like his idea of becoming a criminal showman, but he went about it completely the wrong way. Why warp peoples' childhood fantasies, when we could give them a real touch of the macabre? Look what artists like Munch, Dali, Goya and Bosch have come up with! We could provide a touch of class, even as we go from mere shock to value to inspiring true terror in our victims!"

Dr. Sofen merely raised an eyebrow at this.

"I have to say, you sound quite a bit more assertive than you used to," she pointed out.

"Like I said before, I've come to like Barton's original ideas," Percy said. "I'm just increasingly frustrated with his stubbornness and refusal to listen to any of my suggestions for new material for the act. His creations give Spider-Woman a hard enough time as it is, but my material will give her nightmares!" he grinned.

"So you consider Spider-Woman the straight woman in your act the way Barton does?" Dr. Sofen asked.

"I might as well," Percy sighed. "Chances are that if I try and embark on a performance, she'll be the one to try and stop me. And I suppose it adds a certain dramatic flair to the proceedings."

"And if she tries to intervene?" Dr. Sofen asked.

"It should be pretty obvious, shouldn't it?" Percy replied, raising an eyebrow.

* * *

Christmas Eve was everything Mary Jane could have hoped for. Grandpa Lieber had come down for a visit, and he'd made the ham he'd brought with him into a delicious Christmas dinner for the Watson family. After that, she'd gone out to meet Randy for an evening of dinner and dancing. The nightclub Randy had taken her to was hosting the performances of an up-and-coming singer who called herself Lady Gaga. In celebration of the holidays, Lady Gaga was performing uptempo remixes of classic Christmas songs.

Mary Jane could have done without that, having been forced to listen to Christmas music almost every day for the past three weeks during her job as an elf in the Macy's Santa Claus display. It was a minor inconvenience, though, especially considering the fun she was having with Randy and the looks she was getting from the other guys in the club. Her Christmas-themed attire didn't hurt either. Wearing a red sweater, a green jumper, white thigh-high stockings, black knee-high Santa boots and a sassy little Santa hat to top it all off, Mary Jane was the hottest thing in New York on a very cold night.

"I have to admit, it's pretty catchy," Mary Jane said to Randy as they sat down to catch their breath as the song finished. "Her stage act probably takes it too far, though."

"She never would have gotten as much attention if she didn't do that, though," Randy pointed out, as Lady Gaga bowed to the audience and left the stage to take a break. "She played at the Lollapalooza Festival this year. Derrick Deja told me she's even gotten a record deal."

"Seriously?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Why are you so surprised?" Randy asked her.

"Don't mind me," Mary Jane smiled. "I'm just not all that big on Christmas music-I've been listening to it every day for the past three weeks!" she explained.

"How'd that work out, anyway?" Randy asked her.

"It was…tiring," Mary Jane grinned, "but it was a lot of fun, too. All those little kids were so cute!" she giggled. "How were things going with you?"

"Exhausting," Randy sighed. "The Christmas rush is always our busiest time of year. Plus, I'm going to be auditioning for this new production of _Othello._"

"_Othello?_" Mary Jane asked in surprise. "Is it paying work?"

"Yeah, but not too much," Randy said. "The schedule's pretty good, though."

"Where do I sign up?" Mary Jane grinned. "I love Shakespeare!"

"You do realize that if you get the part of Desdemona, we're both going to end up dead at the end, right?" Randy replied jokingly.

"The same thing happened to _Romeo and Juliet,_" Mary Jane reminded him.

"How true," Randy sighed, before he finished off his drink.

"I'm glad you took me out tonight," Mary Jane smiled warmly at Randy.

"Why's that?" Randy asked.

"For one thing, I enjoy your company," Mary Jane pointed out, as she reached into the inner pocket of her thick winter jacket and retrieved a small wrapped package. "And for another, it gave me a chance to give you your present," she grinned as she handed the wrapped present to Randy. Unwrapping it eagerly, Randy's eyes lit up as he saw what it contained.

"Hey, this is great!" Randy smiled widely, holding up the copy of the Luke Cage biography. "How'd you know I wanted this?"

"I saw you dress as Luke Cage for Halloween, remember?" Mary Jane pointed out. "I figured you'd be a big superhero fan."

"Well, I'm not really a superhero fan," Randy shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane blinked in surprise. "You like Luke Cage, and-"

"Luke doesn't exactly count," Randy explained. "He doesn't wear a mask or hide behind some fancy codename. Everybody knows who he is, and what he's capable of. But the rest of those costumed guys really bother me."

"…What?" Mary Jane asked, summoning all of her acting skills to keep her shock from showing. "Why do they bother you?"

"What do we really know about them?" Randy frowned. "Who keeps them accountable when they screw up? How do we know that they won't become criminals themselves? And besides, they end up being responsible for half the crap the supervillains put this city through-remember when that Psyko monster caused that supervillain jailbreak to get back at Sleepwalker? Or how about the time that the Sinister Six kidnapped all those people to force Spider-Man to fight them? I mean, you even saw it yourself with Spider-Woman and Supercharger," he concluded, a sharp edge in his voice.

Mary Jane visibly flinched at that.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry," Randy gasped. "I shouldn't have said anything. It's still bothering you, isn't it?"

"…Yeah," Mary Jane mumbled as she tried to calm down. Her mind was indeed reeling at everything Randy had been saying, although not only for the reasons that he thought.

"I'm sorry, MJ," Randy apologized. "Maybe this little guy can help you feel better," he smiled sadly, reaching into the bag he'd brought with him to the club and handing Mary Jane a wrapped present of her own.

Opening it up, Mary Jane found that Randy's present was a light brown teddy bear with a bow wrapped around his neck. He was so adorable that Mary Jane felt her sudden stress go away almost as suddenly as it appeared.

"He's so cute!" Mary Jane gushed. "Thank you so much!" Mary Jane smiled, reaching out to kiss Randy.

Once again, Mary Jane realized just how lucky she was to have Randy, and how he treated her like a queen. She also realized that she probably couldn't tell him about her being Spider-Woman, given Randy's feelings on the subject.

_So what, then? _Mary Jane wondered. _Does that mean I just lie to him? What kind of a girlfriend does that make me? _

_ And besides, _she continued, _how do I know he isn't right about what happened with Supercharger? _

Feeling happy, sad and uncertain all at once might have been an unusual thing for most people, but Mary Jane was becoming more and more used to it.

(_**Next Issue:**_ As Mary Jane struggles over how to reconcile her relationship as Randy with her crimefighting responsibilities as Spider-Woman, she finds that her problems are just beginning when Vincent Gonzalez begins a public hate campaign against her. To make matters even worse, Dr. Karla Sofen breaks the Brothers Grimm out of Ravencroft Asylum as part of her larger plans to revive the Tomorrow Legion! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #38:Sibling Rivalry!_)


	43. Sibling Rivalry

It had been a little over a year since Mary Jane Watson's superhuman powers had fully developed. Since she'd begun crimefighting as the superheroic Spider-Woman, Mary Jane had fought a variety of superhuman criminals and had more unusual experiences than most people three times her age. Despite that, she found herself appreciating moments of peace and quiet, such as when she did the grocery shopping for her family. While her Aunt Anna wasn't charging her any rent, Mary Jane Watson still felt better about living with Anna and the rest of the family if she was able to contribute to the household.

Yesterday Mary Jane had helped her cousin Kristy clean Anna's townhouse from top to bottom, and today she was getting the groceries. It was a welcome relief from having to worry about the fallout of Supercharger's rampage at Macy's Department Store almost two weeks ago, or the uncertainty she felt about her boyfriend Randy Robertson. She loved Randy and he loved her back, but it turned out that he disliked and distrusted masked superheroes.

Forcing away those thoughts as they came up again, Mary Jane barely stopped in time to avoid running into a middle-aged man wearing a rumpled cardigan sweater and worn pennyloafers on his feet. To Mary Jane's surprise, she recognized the man as Dr. Curt Connors, her Biology professor at Empire State University.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Mary Jane babbled, startled by Dr. Connors' sudden appearance. "What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked him, before realizing how silly she sounded.

"College professors have to eat too, Mary Jane," Dr. Connors chuckled. "I'm actually just picking some things up for my wife's New Year's Eve party. Say, is everything alright?" he asked her, suddenly noticing how flustered she was.

"I'm fine," Mary Jane assured him, quickly regaining her composure. "I've just had a lot going on lately."

"Well, I have some good news that should cheer you up," Dr. Connors told her. "You did really well on the Biology final-you got an A-minus."

"Really?" Mary Jane brightened.

"You bet," Dr. Connors grinned. "You should be proud of yourself, Mary Jane-you did a lot better after October."

"I'm glad to hear it," Mary Jane nodded. "And I'm not going to let myself slide back again."

"And I'm glad to hear that," Dr. Connors smiled, before he continued on his way.

Mary Jane's stress immediately faded away as she continued into the dairy section, an extra spring in her step.

She thought of Randy, her family and her teddy bear Theodore.

Comforting thoughts one and all.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #38

"SIBLING RIVALRY"

* * *

"So, was Othello supposed to be black, or was he supposed to be Arabic?" Mary Jane asked Randy as they headed to the theater to audition for the new production of the Shakspearean play _Othello _that Randy had mentioned on Christmas Eve. "I was rereading the play last night, and the text doesn't really seem clear on it."

"That's because it's not clear," Randy explained to her. "Different productions have depicted him as either one."

"Really?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but unfortunately a lot of the time he was played by a white guy in blackface," Randy muttered, a disgruntled scowl crossing his face.

Mary Jane just shook her head in confusion.

"I never understood that whole blackface thing," Mary Jane shook her head. "It just seems so stupid-I mean, why go to all the trouble of getting a white guy to put on makeup when you could just cast a black guy in the role to begin with?"

Randy just laughed.

"It's…complicated," he said after a few moments. "But I'm glad you decided to come-_Othello_'s one of my favorite plays."

"Hey, I love Shakespeare," Mary Jane grinned. "Besides, it'll be nice to be on stage again. The last performance I was in was Tom Ferguson's production of _The Wiz._"

"What happened to that production of _Les Miserables?_" Randy asked her.

"Suffice to say that I didn't get the part," Mary Jane sighed. "It was part of one of the worst days of my life."

"Oh," Randy said, somewhat awkwardly. "I'm sorry it didn't work out…"

"It's fine," Mary Jane assured him as they arrived at the theater and went in through the front doors. "I was just having a really bad time. Believe me, things are a lot better now," she assured him.

"I didn't have anything to do with that, did I?" Randy grinned flirtatiously.

"I'd say you did," Mary Jane winked. "In fact-"

"Oh God!" a piercing, distinctly unwelcome voice broke in on their conversation. Looking to see who had interrupted them, Mary Jane and Randy saw a young woman about their age with long platinum blonde hair and what was almost certainly a fake sprayed-on tan. She was clad in a revealing yellow dress, which contrasted with the more subdued sweater, skirt and stockings Mary Jane was wearing.

She was Felicia Hardy, and she and Mary Jane hated one another with a passion.

"Hoping the director will take pity on you, Watson?" Felicia sneered. "Too bad about the Eponine role, huh? You should have seen the reviews I was getting."

Mary Jane felt a well of disgust rising up within her, one that was only worsened by her knowledge of Felicia's role in the murder-that was what it was, the murder-of Brigid O'Reilly. Although Mary Jane had saved Felicia from Brigid after she'd become the insane and murderous Mayhem, there were times when Mary Jane cursed herself for doing it.

"And what about you?" Felicia asked Randy in a hurt tone. "You haven't called me in months! I've been so lonely…" she purred coquettishly as Randy swallowed, reminding him of the time he'd briefly used to date Felicia earlier that year.

It was a testament to both Mary Jane's self-control and Mary Jane's acting skills that she managed to keep calm as she got between Felicia and Randy. Mary Jane's eyes flashed angrily and her complexion was becoming almost as red as her hair, and Felicia instinctively stepped back in spite of herself.

"You should know that talking to my boyfriend like that can be **extremely **hazardous to your health," Mary Jane said icily. "If I were you, I'd leave, **now, **before something extremely bad happened to me. Get the message?"

Glaring spitefully at Mary Jane, Felicia scowled at her before turning and leaving, winking and kissing at Randy as she left.

"I…I'm sorry, MJ…" Randy stammered, as Mary Jane took a deep breath. "I never tried to suggest that…I mean…"

"It's not your fault," Mary Jane assured him. "She just does that to get under my skin. Come on, let's go sign up," Mary Jane finished, leading Randy to where the other actors were going to register for the auditions.

As he followed Mary Jane, Randy wasn't sure what bothered him more, the look Felicia gave him or just how angry Mary Jane got when Felicia flirted with him.

* * *

"Just how long did you spend practicing that monologue?" Mary Jane asked Randy as they got some lunch after the auditions.

"Almost a week," Randy smirked. "Did you like it?"

"You bet," Mary Jane smiled back. "Have you ever played the role before?"

"Once, for a Shakespeare in the Park thing," Randy said, "but it wasn't really the best production. It rained so much during our run that it would have been hard going even if the director wasn't a complete idiot."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, until Mary Jane blinked in surprise.

"Wow, that's…" she trailed off.

"Who?" Randy asked, turning around to see where she was looking. Outside the window, he saw the dark blue form of the mysterious armored superhero Darkhawk flying overhead, rising higher and higher into the sky until he was out of sight.

"Another one," Randy muttered in disgust.

"I'm surprised you don't like superheroes," Mary Jane ventured. "I mean, look at Spider-Woman. She helped out Kitty, didn't she? And Harry and Liz, right?" she persisted.

"Yeah, and how do we know she wouldn't start using her powers to commit crimes?" Randy pointed out. "Same thing with Moon Knight, or Daredevil or any of the others?"

Mary Jane did well to hide the pain she felt at that.

"You realize that people say the same thing about mutants, right?" she asked tersely.

"The difference is that mutants don't go running around in funny Halloween outfits," Randy pointed out. "You don't see Kitty Pryde taking the law into her own hands. Most mutants only use their powers to help them in their everyday lives. You probably saw the same stuff in high school-mutants with super strength use it to help with manual labor, pyrokinetics use it for things like welding or working in steel mills, stuff like that. If they start breaking the law, then they go to jail like any ordinary person."

"So what makes a superhero any different than them?" Mary Jane asked.

"The fact that they're out there taking the law into their own hands, and the rest of us get caught up in the crossfire when they have their grudge matches," Randy explained. "There's no accountability, no responsibility, nothing but their say-so that they won't just start using their powers for their own gain. I mean, we regulate the police, and look at the crap so many of them still pull!"

Mary Jane shook her head in frustration, completely at a loss as to what to say, or even how to say it.

"Are you okay, MJ?" Randy asked her, seeing the consternation on her face.

"Yeah…" Mary Jane mumbled, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a plausible excuse. "It's just that…I just can't agree with you on that, Randy. Not after Spider-Woman saved Kitty and the others, or after the X-Men rescued my family from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. They would probably have all been killed if it hadn't been for those heroes helping them."

"Hey, it's all good," Randy assured her. "I just have friends who've nearly gotten killed by super-powered grudge matches. I understand how you feel, it's just that…" he trailed off.

They finished their lunch in an awkward silence, before hesitantly kissing one another and heading home.

* * *

"How do you deal with it, Peter?" Mary Jane asked Peter Parker on the phone later that evening. "I mean, how does Gwen deal with the fact that you're Spider-Man?"

There was an awkward silence on the other end.

"…Peter?" Mary Jane asked him.

_"I haven't actually told her yet,"_ Peter finally admitted in embarrassment. _"I mean, she shouldn't have to worry about my risking my life!"_

"How do you think she'd react?" Mary Jane asked him.

_"Well, I don't know if she'd actually have a problem with it," _Peter said, seemingly unsure of himself. _"She and her dad are actually pretty grateful to Spider-Man for saving her from the Green Goblin," _Peter explained, referring to the Green Goblin's attempt to get back at Captain George Stacy by kidnapping Gwen and throwing her off a bridge in full public view. As Spider-Man, Peter had saved Gwen's life and prevented the Goblin from killing her.

"Then why won't you tell her?" Mary Jane persisted.

_"…She might be angry that I was lying to her and didn't tell her about it before now," _Peter ventured. _"But even then…" _

"…Peter?" Mary Jane had to ask again.

_"…I need to think about it," _Peter said slowly. _"What about you, though? Why don't you tell Randy?" _

"For one thing, he doesn't like costumed heroes," Mary Jane frowned. "I can only imagine how he'd react if he found out that I was one. And then there's the fact that he'd probably be mad at me for not telling him. That's the problem-I feel like I'm lying to him by not telling him I'm a hero, but I'm afraid of how he'd react if he did find out!"

What Mary Jane didn't mention to Peter was that Randy's comments about people being caught in the crossfire of super-powered grudge matches had struck a nerve with her. She still had uncomfortable memories of how she'd very nearly hurt a number of innocent people with her reckless behavior when she'd first become a superheroine.

_"I wish I knew what to say, Mary Jane," _Peter sighed on the other end. _"I really don't. I'm in kind of the same boat you are." _

"It's okay, I understand," Mary Jane replied. "Thanks for listening, Peter."

_"Anytime," _Peter assured her before hanging up.

_A fat lot of good that did, _Mary Jane thought in frustration, leaning back in her chair as she hung up the phone. _And apparently I'm not the only one who has this problem-I wonder how many other heroes besides Peter and I have to deal with it?_

It was a small bit of comfort, but it wasn't going to help her deal with her problems with Randy.

* * *

"Do you mind if I join you?" Jackson Arvad asked Steven Mark Levins as they sat down at the cafeteria table. Jackson was a tall man in his mid-thirties with shoulder-length blonde hair and entirely white eyes, while Steven was a solidly-built middle-aged man in his early forties with a chiseled face and figure that was the envy of men half his age.

They'd become good friends ever since they'd discovered they shared a common interest, namely their hatred of the spectacular Spider-Woman, who'd defeated them during their criminal escapades as the supervillains Will O' the Wisp and Jack O' Lantern. Now confined in the Raft, the wing of Riker's Island Penitentiary used to house imprison super-powered criminals, they'd both taken advantage of their imprisonment to make friends with other members of Spider-Woman's "rogues gallery", as well as the many other superhuman criminals who were regular inhabitants of the Raft.

"You don't need my permission," Steven, who preferred to be called by his supervillain name of Jack O' Lantern, shrugged. "What did you want, anyway?"

"To know what kind of progress you're making," Jackson said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you mean about reviving the Tomorrow Legion?" Jack O' Lantern asked. "Well, I haven't been able to take a really direct hand in it, but from everything I've heard it looks like there's already a movement to revive it."

"Damn it all," Jackson muttered in frustration. "The first time you formed it, I was stuck rotting in this hellhole. And now someone else is forming it? When do I get to join?" he sulked petulantly.

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Jack O' Lantern smiled. "Besides, even if I'm not the one organizing it, that doesn't mean that we can't play a…'special' role in it," he chuckled.

"By 'special', I take it you mean getting a suitable revenge on Spider-Woman?" Jackson asked.

Jack O' Lantern only leered at that.

"Has anyone else said anything about that?" Jack O' Lantern asked.

"What, you mean among Spider-Woman's other enemies?" Jackson asked. "Polestar says he'd be interested in doing something like that. Firebrand flew into a rage when I suggested it-he thinks that he should be the only one to get revenge on Spider-Woman. Joystick said it sounded like fun. Netshape wanted to know what would be in it for him. Blizzard flat-out refused, and Tarot got herself transferred into the women's general population because she was afraid of the rest of us. The Brothers Grimm and Supercharger are locked in Ravencroft Asylum, so I can't reach them. And Moonstone's still on the loose out there. All in all, the prospects aren't too good."

"You've certainly been busy," Jack O' Lantern pointed out. "What were you planning, anyway? Did you intend to form a group to go after Spider-Woman, or something?"

"I know it's been done," Jackson replied, somewhat defensively. "The problem with the Sinister Six was that Doctor Octopus made Spider-Man fight each member one at a time. My group would all go after Spider-Woman at once!"

"And you'd promptly end up getting in each other's way as you all try to kill her," Jack O' Lantern pointed out. "How long would you and your allies spend training so you could coordinate your attacks?"

The disgruntled scowl on Jackson's face told Jack O' Lantern everything he needed to know.

"Don't feel too bad, Jackson," Jack O' Lantern reassured him. "It's not a bad plan in and of itself. You'd just need to figure out how to make better use of each team member's talents."

"And I suppose you could do better?" Jackson asked testily.

"I gave rise to the Tomorrow Legion, didn't I?" Jack O' Lantern smirked. "To my mind, the key would be to adapt your planning to the circumstances you face. I always tried to figure out how to integrate the goals of the other members of the Legion into my own plans, and coordinate them for better effect."

"So…" Jackson stared at him expectantly.

"If I get re-elected as leader of the Tomorrow Legion, I'd be figuring out how a nice, vicious revenge on Spider-Woman could be incorporated into my plans, and how my friends could help me!" he grinned.

Jackson smiled evilly in his turn, before he and Jack O' Lantern finished their meals and stood up to put away their lunch trays.

* * *

Sitting down to work at her laptop the next morning, Mary Jane checked her grades on Empire State University's student services website. To her delight, her grades for the semester were much better than she could have hoped, ranging from an A-minus in her Drama class to a C-average in Biology. With the extra time she'd been able to devote to her studies after moving back in with her family, Mary Jane had raised her grades to a much better level.

Her mood brightening immediately, she then logged into her e-mail account and got caught up on her correspondence, before logging out. She glanced briefly over the news items, not intending to give them much notice, when she saw what one of them announced:

'_IT'S ALL SPIDER-WOMAN'S FAULT'_, _SUPERVILLAIN VICTIM SAYS_

Shocked by what she read, Mary Jane clicked on the link and read about Vincent Gonzalez, how Supercharger had murdered his sister Michelle, and how his family had fallen apart after that. Aghast, she read about how Vincent considered it her fault that Supercharger had murdered first all the people who'd criticized her online, and then all the people at Macy's Department Store to force her to fight him. According to Vincent, Supercharger would never have done those things if not for Spider-Woman.

_"He got powers so he could express his sick love for her," Gonzalez was quoted as saying. "Supercharger wouldn't have done that if Spider-Woman hadn't led him on the way she did." _

The article concluded by describing the website Vincent had launched, dedicated to expressing how much he hated Spider-Woman, and provided a link to the site itself.

Clicking on the link, Mary Jane was taken to a website that reiterated many of Vincent's points about the chaos perpetrated by the likes of Jack O' Lantern and Supercharger being Spider-Woman's fault, the lack of control she'd displayed in her early fights, and how much Vincent wanted to make her life hell the same way she'd supposedly done to his.

_If you've lost a loved one because of Spider-Woman, _Vincent had written, _then post here and tell me just how much you hate her. Tell me what you'd like to do to her, how you'd like to pay her back for what she's done to you. Let her know just how you feel, and show that stupid bitch the truth about her pathetic, miserable life. _

Reading through the comments, Mary Jane felt an equal amount of horror and rage rising up within her. Many of the comments went even further than Vincent's, calling Spider-Woman a bitch, a whore, and even more vulgar names related to her gender. Some of them described, in sickeningly graphic detail, what they would have liked to do to her if they could.

It was all Mary Jane could do to from smashing her laptop, much less the desk she was sitting at, with her bare hands out of sheer rage. Being blamed for Supercharger's killing sprees was bad enough, but that was only part of the reason for her fury. Somehow she doubted that the people posting on Vincent's website would have used the names they did if they were condemning Spider-Man, Daredevil or Moon Knight. Nor did she think that the people posting on Vincent's website would describe all the graphic things they wanted to do to Spider-Man or any of the other male heroes.

Stewing inwardly, Mary Jane was reminded of the lewd comments that several of her enemies had made towards her when she'd first encountered them as Spider-Woman. Again, she doubted that Spider-Man's, Sleepwalker's or Darkhawk's enemies had done that sort of thing when they met their male enemies for the first time.

Putting her head in her hand, Mary Jane took a deep breath and muttered to herself for a few moments, before her phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked, an edge in her voice.

_"Are you okay, MJ?" _Randy asked her on the other end.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah I'm fine," Mary Jane quickly replied. "I'm still a little sleepy, that's all. I slept late this morning. What's up?" she asked.

_"I just wanted to know what you were planning for New Year's," _Randy asked. _"Did you want to watch the ball drop in Times Square?" _

"Not really," Mary Jane said. "I'd be more interested in having a party, if anyone's doing that. Do you know what everyone's got planned?"

_"Not really, but Tom Ferguson's got this party going on with a bunch of people he knows in the theater community," _Randy replied. _"You interested in going?" _

"Sounds great," Mary Jane smiled as she tried to calm down. "What time did you want to meet at?"

_"Would 5:30 work?" _Randy asked. _"We could get some dinner before we go to the party." _

"You bet!" Mary Jane grinned. "See you then, sweetie!" she smiled, before hanging up the phone.

_It's funny, _Mary Jane realized with a sad smile as she stood up.

_Every time I get too happy, something always seems to go wrong for me. But when I start feeling too low, something else starts to go right, _she thought to herself.

Looking over at her bed, she saw Theodore, the teddy bear that Randy had gotten her for Christmas, sitting at the foot of it.

Impulsively, she went over and hugged him.

It always made her feel better.

* * *

Vincent Gonzalez only laughed as he read through the e-mails people were sending him about how much they hated Spider-Woman and superheroes in general. A few people tried to defend her, but Vincent had already noted their names and e-mail addresses, and he'd be sending them some very personal rebuttals very soon.

Several of his supporters were already offering to help him however they could, and he had to think about exactly how to use their help. A couple of them had suggested pooling their resources to hire a supervillain mercenary to go after her, but Vincent wasn't entirely keen on that. While making Spider-Woman's life hell with a supervillain might be appealing, he preferred to avoid dealing with those costumed freaks at all.

No, there was probably another way around it.

Nodding to himself, Vincent set to work, searching online for anything and everything he could find about the people Spider-Woman had previously interacted with.

Vincent had a head start already-some of the people who'd e-mailed him defending Spider-Woman had related their anecdotes of how she'd saved them.

He and his new friends would start with them.

* * *

_Just think about it, _Percy Grimes told his brother Barton within the mind that they shared. _Think of all the chaos we're going to cause. We're going to put on a performance that will go down in history!_

_ It sounds nice, _Barton replied meekly. _Are we going to fight Spider-Woman? _

_ Of course we are, _Percy assured him. _After all, like you said, where would the act be without our straight woman? _

_Yeah, that'll be fun, _Barton realized, before he faded into unconsciousness.

Percy laughed inwardly, marveling at how well Dr. Karla Sofen had managed to hypnotize the typically more hyperactive and outgoing Barton into ceding control of his mutant powers to Percy and leaving Percy to execute his own plans for New Year's Eve.

Although he'd initially deplored the warped childhood imagery Barton had used when he was in control of their shared body, Percy had come to appreciate that Barton in fact had the right idea. Although they had been born Percy and Barton Grimes, they were more popularly known as the Brothers Grimm, a crazed supervillain who'd been one of Spider-Woman's earliest enemies.

Rather than robbing banks or jewelry stores, Barton had hit on the idea of kidnapping people and forcing them to watch the Brothers' ghoulish performances, before robbing them blind as "payment" for the show. Percy had considered Barton's ghoulish childhood imagery to be silly and immature, so he planned to give the audience a touch of suitably macabre culture for his performance.

Along with being a show, though, Percy intended for his first big performance to be an audition. Jack O' Lantern had only created the Tomorrow Legion after the Brothers Grimm had already been arrested and put in Ravencroft Asylum, and Barton had been bitterly disappointed at not being able to participate in it. The Brothers Grimm had heard from several of the other inmates about all the destruction they'd been able to cause and all the money they'd been able to make. Although they'd later been recaptured after the Legion's initial foray, they'd said it was one of the most fun times they'd had.

In their therapy sessions, Dr. Karla Sofen had mentioned in passing to the Brothers about how many costumed criminals were in fact eager to see the Tomorrow Legion revived. Any criminal who committed a sufficiently audacious act would no doubt gain a lot of respect among his supervillain colleagues, and would have an inside track to even become elected as its leader…and wouldn't Barton love **that?**

There was still the problem of escaping from Ravencroft, but Dr. Sofen had noted that wasn't necessarily as much of a problem as the Brothers was inclined to think. In fact, she'd described the Chain Gang's escape from the Institute several months ago, not to mention the mass outbreak Psyko had caused before that…

Percy Grimes knew full well that Dr. Sofen was practically begging him to escape from Ravencroft, given the hints she had been dropping. He wasn't entirely sure why she wanted him to do it, and in fact he didn't really care. Percy knew that he, Barton and almost all the other criminals in Ravencroft were untreatable lost causes, and the psychiatrists who "treated" them didn't really hold out much hope of doing so. Most of the shrinks were disillusioned cynics who were simply working there to collect their paycheck, or stubborn idealists who didn't let reality get in the way of their dreams. Dr. Sofen was different, in that she actively saw the inmates as objects of study that fascinated her.

Barton might have resented being used as a guinea pig for Dr. Sofen's intellectual curiosity, but Percy hardly cared. If he escaped, he'd finally have his opportunity to shine.

If he had to be Dr. Sofen's guinea pig to do that, he'd be a very good guinea pig indeed.

* * *

Tom Ferguson's New Year's Eve party was held at the Fandango Club, a trendy, upscale nightclub that had emerged as the place to be for New York's young, wealthy and glamorous. Randy had been able to get him and Mary Jane admitted through his friendship with Tom Ferguson, and Mary Jane took it from there. She fit right in with the partygoers, and before long Mary Jane had them orbiting around her. One moment she was leading the dance, the next she was chatting with media celebrities as if she'd known them all their lives.

"You're certainly popular tonight," Randy grinned, as he and Mary Jane sat down to take a break less than half an hour before midnight. "How do you do it?"

"It's easy," Mary Jane grinned, revealing a perfect white smile that left Randy's heart pounding. "All you have to do is approach people with confidence, and they'll respect you. That's the thing with a lot of these media types-people are usually so nervous or so gushing around them that they'll respect you if you just act normally around them. If anything, they'll find it refreshing to be treated like an ordinary person."

"Is that the voice of experience?" Randy asked.

"It will be, in a few years," Mary Jane winked. "Seriously though, it's just something I've noticed after following the theater scene for so long."

"I'm glad you're having a good time," Randy smiled. "You seemed kind of stressed over the last couple of weeks."

"When am I not?" Mary Jane grinned ruefully. "No, I'm fine. I've just been looking forward to a break, that's all."

"Haven't we all," Randy sighed. "In fact, I-what the hell?" he asked as he saw the club's upstairs windows shatter. People screamed and murmured in confusion as they saw the strange things floating in through the broken windows. They were small humanoids, pale-skinned and hairless, holding their hands to their heads, dressed in black robes. Looking at one another, they burst into horrific screams, sonic shrieks that echoed throughout the dance hall. The partygoers' screams were added to the mix, as they sank to their knees, doubling over from the pain.

"Mary Jane…" Randy began as he sank to his knees, holding his ears to try and block out the horrible sound. Covering her ears, Mary Jane forced herself to focus on the broken windows. Through them, she could see surreal madness outside.

Melting clocks flew through the air, exploding into numbers and clock hands that ripped and beat at passersby before reassembling themselves; black bats ripped and pecked at passersby, undersized demonic old women with rictus grins wielding whips with which they attacked their victims, strange dwarflike figures dressed like priests wielded what looked like severed animal limbs as clubs to beat on passersby, lobsters that vaguely resembled telephones ripped and tore at the people, owl-headed bats flapped through the air, hooting and screeching all at once.

Sick with horror, Mary Jane ran for the exit, trying to find somewhere to change costume before this insanity killed anyone.

* * *

_The chimera was said to be a creature of myth-part lion, part serpent, part dragon. However, chimeras were also a very real thing in life. Some creatures, even humans, were chimeras in the sense that they carried more than one set of DNA in their bodies. This was exceptionally rare in humans, of course but it could happen. Most often, it occurred when there were two nonidentical twin embryos in their mother's womb, and one absorbed the other. Usually this second twin died, and the surviving twin lived on, usually not knowing that they carried part of their dead twin's DNA. _

_ If only it had been that simple when Percy Grimes had absorbed what would have been his brother Barton. _

_ Perhaps due to his mutant nature, Barton in fact survived being absorbed by Percy, and so it was that the two brothers shared one body, each contributing some of its DNA. Barton was fully aware of everything around him, and of the unique circumstances that he shared with his brother Percy. This would have been enough of an issue for Percy to grow up with, but things were made even worse by the wretched poverty the Grimes brothers grew up in, to say nothing of the fact that their mother was a cokehead who continued to indulge her habit while pregnant. _

_ When their father was imprisoned for armed robbery and their mother overdosed on cocaine, the Grimes brothers were shunted from one foster home to the other and then becoming an aimless drifter when they came of age. As they grew up and became self-aware, the Grimes brothers began fighting for control of their shared body. Most people who saw their arguments simply believed Percy to be delusional or suffering from a split personality, and indeed they may not have been entirely sane to begin with given the amount of cocaine their mother had done while pregnant with them. _

_ Eventually, Barton's mutant conjuration powers manifested, allowing him to conjure strange creatures and objects imbued with powers all their own under his control. They were made of pure magic, although they had solid forms and whatever powers Barton's twisted mind could imbue them with. Noticing how many people were fascinated or repelled by his psychic squabbling with Percy, Barton eventually came up with the idea of using his powers as a depraved criminal performer. He had always loved imaginary toys, fairy tales and other strange childhood images, and this was how he manifested his powers. _

_ Percy Grimes, although forcibly dragged into it by Barton's cajoling, had eventually come to agree with Barton's methods. He was always interested in a life of crime himself, although he was more interested in macabre and surreal art than the silly childhood fantasies of his brother. Percy and Barton had fought constantly over the best approach to take as performers, with Barton refusing to incorporate any of Percy's ideas. Now, with Barton's personality hypnotized and repressed within their shared mind, Percy could take control of Barton's mutant conjuring powers and use them for himself. _

_ Now, he could indulge his love of paintings by the likes of Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, Francis Bacon, Salvador Dali and Hieronymous Bosch, giving his audience a taste of the intellectual and the macabre before he looted everything they had.._

* * *

Emerging from the club, Spider-Woman sprayed her webbing in a wide arc, capturing many of the creatures all at once and slamming them against one another or into the snowy pavement. Many of the strange things, most of which were no taller than one or two feet at most, turned to attack her, until they were called off all of a sudden. Looking up in alarm, Spider-Woman saw the all too familiar figure of a man dressed in a black and white striped Beetlejuice suit, a sleeveless straitjacket worn as a vest, a purple jester's hat on his head and a grinning harlequin mask on his face. His mount was even more bizarre, resembling nothing so much as a large carving knife with two human ears on either side.

"So nice of you to join us, Spider-Woman," the Brothers Grimm leered down at her. "Do you like my new artistic direction?"

"This isn't exactly your usual motif, is it?" Spider-Woman pointed out, an edge in her voice. "Where are the demonic teddy bears? The wicked witches? The maimed toy soldiers? What _is _all this?" she asked, disturbed by all the warped imagery around her.

"Oh dear," the Brothers Grimm sighed mockingly. "What are the schools teaching you young people these days?"

In response, Spider-Woman leapt up at the Brothers Grimm, spinning a webline and swinging towards him. Her kick slammed into the Brothers Grimm's vehicle, sending him rolling back before she hit it with a sting blast. The weird creation shuddered briefly before the Brothers Grimm regained control of it. Flying after Spider-Woman as she swung away, the Brothers Grimm gestured and created a lobster telephone with one hand and an owl-headed bat with another. Moving with lightning speed, the bat carried the lobster phone to where he could throw it at Spider-Woman's webline. The lobster phone cut right through Spider-Woman's webbing, sending her falling.

With a gesture, the Brothers Grimm directed one of the melting clocks to fly underneath her, blocking her path. Landing on top of it, Spider-Woman was thrown into the air again as the clock exploded, slamming against the wall. Bouncing off the wall, Spider-Woman clung to it as she struggled to clear her dizziness, her entire body throbbing with pain from the explosion and her collision with the wall.

Unfortunately, the flying, skinless screaming men she'd originally seen in the nightclub were now shrieking at her, disorienting her as the owl-bats began pecking at her. Spraying her webbing in a wide arc to try and protect herself, Spider-Woman snagged several of the bats and screamers. Springing into the air, she flung them at the Brothers Grimm, forcing him to dodge them. As he flew out of the way, Spider-Woman blasted the strange knife-and-ear contraption he was riding with her free hand, finally shattering it. The Brothers Grimm began to fall, but he was caught by several of his flying creations.

The Brothers Grimm tried to conjure a new knife-and-ears vehicle to ride off on, but he lost precious seconds conjuring something that large and left himself vulnerable. Now swinging on a fresh webline, Spider-Woman used her free hand to snag several of the owl-bats supporting him, tearing them off him and causing him to fall awkwardly. Spider-Woman slammed into him at that point, throwing him into the air and zapping him with her sting blasts before she caught him again. Twirling through the air, she landed expertly on the roof, letting the Brothers Grimm go as she struggled free.

"Right now, my minions are just torturing those people," the Brothers Grimm scowled angrily behind his mask. "Surrender now, or I'll kill them."

"Really, now?" Spider-Woman grinned wickedly, looking past him. Glancing over his shoulder, the Brothers Grimm saw a large group of New York police officers battling his creations, which dissolved into nothing as the policemen shot them or struck them with batons.

Shouting in anger, the Brothers Grimm conjured a group of meat-club-wielding creatures and whip-wielding rictus-grinned women, none of whom were more than two feet high, sending them at Spider-Woman one after another. Spider-Woman sprang into the air and entangled them in her webbing, before she was blown out of the air by another screaming man. Landing roughly on her back, Spider-Woman was chargedone of the whip-wielding women who'd escaped her webbing. The nasty little thing cracked its whip at her, but Spider-Woman caught the whip in her hand and spun the woman around like a flail, slamming it into the screaming man before they both vanished out of existence.

The Brothers Grimm was conjuring a knife-and-ears vehicle to escape, but he couldn't do it fast enough to avoid Spider-Woman hitting him with a double sting blast. As he staggered, Spider-Woman advanced him and knocked him out with a single punch. His creations vanished as he lost consciousness, before Spider-Woman wrapped him up in webbing and carried him back down to street level, handing him over to the police.

* * *

Returning in her street clothes to Tom Ferguson's party, Mary Jane began looking around for Randy. To her immense relief, she found that he was still there, and apparently unhurt.

"Oh, Randy!" she exclaimed, running up to him. "Thank God you're okay!" she continued, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"And what about you?" he asked with a frown, noting Mary Jane's injuries. "Why did you run away the way you did?"

"I…" Mary Jane trailed off, frantically trying to think of a lie. "I…went to call the police!"

"…What?" Randy asked her incredulously. "We both have our cell phones in our jacket pockets! Why would you need another phone? Were you looking for the club's landline, or something?"

"I…wasn't thinking?" Mary Jane tried, realizing how unconvincing it sounded, even to her.

"Seriously?" Randy asked skeptically. His eyes narrowed in suspicion-he clearly suspected she wasn't telling him the truth. "And how did you get hurt the way you did, if you were just looking for a phone?"

"Well…I…" Mary Jane stammered.

"Come on, we should probably get you home," he said brusquely, picking up her jacket and moving to give it to her.

They headed home in an awkward silence. Mary Jane could sense the irritation and annoyance coming off Randy. It wasn't so much the fact that she'd left him at the party, she knew, but his clear suspicion that she'd lied to him about why she'd left, that made him angry. Mary Jane couldn't blame him for that-she'd probably be upset too, if Randy had left the party and made those types of lame excuses to her.

She would have told him the real reason, of course, except that she knew his feelings on superheroes and had no idea how he'd react if he realized that she'd been hiding the truth from him.

_It used to be that I had everything going right as a superhero, _Mary Jane thought in frustration once she'd gotten home and gone upstairs to shower and treat her injuries. _Whatever problems I had with work or school, I did everything right as Spider-Woman. _

_ Now, everything's going right for me in my normal life, _she realized, _and it's my costumed life that's all screwed up. I've got an Internet hate campaign blaming me for all of Supercharger's murders, and now my boyfriend is mad at me because he knows I'm lying to him but I can't tell him the truth…_

Hugging Theodore as she lay back on her bed, she recalled Peter Parker alluding to how he'd had days like this as a hero. Peter suspected that New York's other heroes, whoever they were, probably had to deal with the problem too.

That knowledge didn't really make Mary Jane feel any better.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane tries to patch things up with Randy, but how can she do so without revealing the truth behind her secret identity to him? Meanwhile, larger threats lurk in the background as Vincent Gonzalez takes his hate campaign against Spider-Woman to a new level. Even as this goes on, Moonstone puts her long-await plans to revive the Tomorrow Legion into action! Even the Brothers Grimm has a larger part to play when Barton Grimes snaps out of his hypnosis and confronts Percy over what he's done with their shared body! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #39: Puppet Dance, Part One: Marionettes!_)


	44. Puppet Dance, Part One: Marionettes

"Oh banish me my lord, but kill me not!" Mary Jane Watson pleaded to the livid Randy Robertson.

"Down, strumpet!" Randy Robertson scowled angrily.

"Kill me tomorrow, let me live tonight!" Mary Jane begged.

"Nay, if you strive-" Randy answered, his fury rising.

"But half an hour!" Mary Jane interrupted, still hoping for mercy.

"Being done, there is no pause," Randy shook his head.

"But while I say one prayer!" Mary Jane made one final effort.

"It is too late," Randy said with a tone of grim finality, as he picked up the pillow case and moved to smother Mary Jane.

Their Drama class burst out in applause as Randy backed off and helped Mary Jane to her feet. Randy nodded in appreciation, as Mary Jane offered an elegant curtsy. They'd chosen to do a scene from _Othello _as part of an assignment to do a Shakespeare reenactment in the Drama class they were taking, and had nailed the roles perfectly.

Choosing a scene from _Othello _was an added bonus, as Mary Jane and Randy had auditioned for a classical performance of the classic play that would be taking place at the start of February. They planned to do the scene, one of the most emotionally charged of the entire play, if they were called back for the second round of auditions.

On the surface, everything seemed to be going well for Mary Jane. She was caught up on her schoolwork, her mother Maddie Watson was doing well and she had a boyfriend who treated her like a queen.

Unfortunately, as the spectacular Spider-Woman Mary Jane now had an Internet hate campaign organized against her organized by people who blamed her for the damage and death caused by the murderous Supercharger. She was also plagued with guilt from Supercharger's murders themselves, since the electrically-charged maniac had committed them to force Spider-Woman to fight him. Finally, there was the tension with her boyfriend Randy. Ever since New Year's Eve, when she'd been forced to run out on him to become Spider-Woman and confront her old enemy the Brothers Grimm, Mary Jane could feel a certain tension in the air between her and Randy.

Randy knew that she'd lied to him about why she needed to leave the party, although Mary Jane couldn't tell if he suspected why. Mary Jane would have told him about her dual identity as Spider-Woman, but Randy had made it clear just how much he disliked superheroes. Mary Jane wasn't sure what to do-she knew Randy was upset with her for lying to him, but she was concerned with how he'd react if he found out she was a costumed heroine.

Hence the tension between Mary Jane and Randy.

Everything about Mary Jane's life looked good on the surface, but most people didn't see the hidden tensions and problems underneath it all.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #39

PUPPET DANCE, PART ONE

"MARIONETTES"

* * *

Returning home later that evening to do his homework, Randy tried to figure out what was up with Mary Jane. Ever since that New Year's Eve party at the Fandango Club, there'd been a distinct stiffness between them, with Mary Jane having trouble looking Randy in the eye. He still wasn't sure why Mary Jane had run out on him when the Brothers Grimm first attacked, or why she'd come up with the absurdly flimsy lies that she had when Randy had asked her why she'd left.

_It's funny, _Randy mused as he typed away at his computer. _Mary Jane runs away, she comes back all battered and bruised, and then she tries to dodge the question when I ask her where she went. _

_ And it wasn't even the first time we found her so injured, _Randy realized. _Especially that one time, when Kitty had me pick her up from their old apartment. She was lucky to be alive, _he recalled with a shudder.

Randy then remembered the arguments he and Mary Jane had about superheroes. Mary Jane had tried to defend them, and didn't seem the least bit pleased when Randy criticized them.

In that case…

…was Mary Jane…

…Spider-Woman?

Randy leaned back in his chair, needing a moment to realize the implications of it.

_It would explain an awful lot, _he realized. _But why in God's name would she even want to be __**doing **__this, anyway? If she wants to help people, why didn't she just become a cop or something? And where's she getting her powers? Is she a mutant? Did she get chosen by some spider-god? Is she taking some sort of superpower potion or something? _

_And she's lying to me about it, _Randy thought, anger rising up within him. _Even if I don't like costumed heroes, you'd think she'd at least have the guts to be honest about it if she really is one…_

_So now what do I do? _he wondered. _Do I ask her about it, or do I wait for her to tell me? Will she tell me when she's ready, or does she trust me enough to keep her secret? _

_ Or am I just imagining all this? _Randy pondered. _Maybe Mary Jane was just scared when she ran off when we were at the Fandago, and she's just ashamed of it. _

Not only was Randy unsure of how to handle the situation, he wasn't even sure how he felt now.

Angry at Mary Jane for lying to him, and not trusting him enough to confide in him about being a superhero, if that was what she was?

Sympathetic to Mary Jane for the crap she's probably had to deal with in her life?

Confused about why the hell Mary Jane would be a superhero in the first place, and about where she's even a superhero or whether he was just misinterpreting it all?

Randy spent almost two and a half hours thinking about the matter, but he just couldn't figure it out.

* * *

"How could you do this to me?" Barton Grimes shouted angrily at his brother Percy. "You betrayed me, you sick piece of-"

"Betrayed you?" Percy shot back angrily. "You're the one who's been taking this body for a joyride and picking fights with Spider-Woman. At least **I **never tried to make an enemy of her! She only ended up ruining my performance because **you **were the one stupid enough to make us part of her rogues gallery!"

Barton and Percy Grimes were closer than most brothers, given that they shared a common body as a chimera. As two separate zygotes that had become fused in their mother's womb, the brothers' distinct personalities had remained fully aware and intact after their birth and as they'd grown into adulthood. Now, as the costumed supervillain called the Brothers Grimm, Barton and Percy were as deadly as they were bizarre, and as bizarre as they were insane.

Normally, their mutant conjuring powers were under Barton's control, but after he'd been hypnotized into a stupor by Dr. Karla Sofen Percy had taken control of their powers and embarked on a warped "performance" of his own. Percy had been thwarted by Spider-Woman, who'd managed to defeat him and leave him for the police, but the Brothers had managed to escape the police before they could get the power-blocking restraints on him. While Percy had been knocked out by Spider-Woman's blows, her attacks had jolted Barton out of his stupor and allowed him to retake control of their body. He'd used his conjuration powers to create an Easter egg filled with laughing gas, which distracted the police as

Now, hiding out among the pimps, drug dealers and other lowlifes on Yancy Street, the Brothers had kept a low profile, travelling in his street clothes and only using the strange creatures he conjured to steal food and money from various shops. Although they took great care to not publicly display their true nature when they were out and about, Percy and Barton had taken to arguing furiously behind closed doors in the dingy motel room they were renting, knowing full well that anyone who happened to hear them would interpret their argument as a drug addict's ravings.

The room was also filled with the rest of their creations, some of which were Barton's and some of which were Percy's, each reflecting their creator's artistic interests. Barton's creations were warped childhood things like insanely giggling masked teddy bears, animated harlequin puppets that had all been killed in some gruesome fashion and dancing jack-in-the-boxes with skulls for heads. Percy's creations were macabre things reflecting classic works of art, such as hairless screaming figures, creatures that resembled gruesome crosses between lobsters and telephones and dwarflike creatures dressed as priests who wielded clubs that resembled severed animal limbs. These creatures snapped and spat at one another, reflecting their masters' argument.

"At least I wasn't the one gullible enough to fall for that twisted headshrinker's schemes!" Barton snapped back. "And then you had to come up with that creative abortion you called a performance! How much money did you even make, dear brother?" he sneered.

"As much money as you ever made, _brother,_" Percy shot back. "And I should add that I terrified my victims much more than you did! Your creations simply are simply creepy and disturbing, while mine are outright frightening!"

"Are not!" Barton answered.

"Are so!" Percy replied.

"Are not!" Barton screamed.

"Are so!" Percy yelled.

"Are not!" Barton whined.

"Are so!" Percy sneered.

"Alright then, Mr. Smartypants," Barton finally snorted, "why don't we put on a contest? Let's put on a dual theatrical presentation, each with our own creations. Then we'll see who scares the audience more!"

"Agreed!" Percy nodded. "I'm going to do so much business, it'll make your bulbous head spin!"

"This is your head too, you numbskull!" Barton shot back, before the Brothers Grimm burst into hysterical laughter.

Percy and Barton immediately calmed down, each using their half of the mind they shared to plan the upcoming performance. The venue was easy to figure out, as was how they were going to gather the audience.

The only question, of course, was which conjurations would get the greatest terror out of the audience.

* * *

Dr. Karla Sofen worked diligently at her computer, analyzing her findings on the public reactions to the escapes of Supercharger, Mr. FX, the Chain Gang and the Brothers Grimm. She marveled at what technology was capable of these days, as the netbots she'd developed had proven to be very useful. Dr. Sofen was using the netbots to scour the Internet for any mention either of the supervillains she'd helped escape from Ravencroft, as well as any mention of the Tomorrow Legion or her costumed alter ego of Moonstone.

As Moonstone, she'd developed the bot program with the assistance of the Fixer, a criminal technologist known for his mastery of computers. The Fixer had become famous in the criminal underworld for his development of an "off the grid" communications network, which he referred to as the "Outsider" that could not be traced through Internet service providers or phone company records. Criminals ranging from drug smugglers to child pornographers were using it to support their depraved "businesses", even as supervillains and terrorist organizations used the network to communicate with one another. Moonstone's bots allowed her to scan both the conventional Internet and the Outsider, and return all the results to her home computer for analysis.

The results were good, very good. Reading through the blogs, news sites and message boards that discussed the issue, Dr. Sofen saw how tense things were becoming in New York. The rampages of the villains she'd released from Ravencroft were making people increasingly scared, as they speculated on what would happen next. There were rumors of another supervillain crime wave, or an attack on the city like the ones caused by Psyko.

The rumor mill on the Outsider was similar. A number of villains were expressing admiration at what Supercharger and the others had accomplished, and they too were noticing the increasing tension in New York. To Dr. Sofen's delight, she found that several of them were discussing the themes that she'd tried to get them thinking about in her conversations with them as Moonstone. The villains talked about how they could make more money and cause more suffering if they organized themselves and coordinated their efforts, and just how right Jack O' Lantern had been.

A smile spread across Dr. Sofen's face, as her eyes lit up with eagerness.

Everything was working out just as she'd anticipated, and the months of planning were starting to pay off. The Tomorrow Legion was ready to be revived, and all it needed was a leader.

However, Dr. Sofen would still have to get elected as the leader first. Jack O' Lantern and Doctor Octopus had done it based on their status in the supervillain community, status that Dr. Sofen had yet to attain.

Not that attaining that status would be particularly difficult, of course.

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, Dr. Sofen planned her next move.

* * *

_**That night…**_

"This is the place?" one of the masked men asked his buddies.

"Yeah," the second man replied. "She e-mailed Vinnie, and then he tracked down her address. Stupid bitch won't even know what hit her."

All five of the masked people, the three men and two women, sniggered to themselves before they walked up and surrounded the house. One of them cut the phone lines, another one disabled the burglar alarm and a third one opened the back door with a drill. In just a few moments, they'd made it into the house, making their way upstairs in dead silence.

Harold and Sierra Weston were rudely awakened by their son's cries, and the beating sound that followed. They were in darkness for a few seconds as they got out of bed, but when Harold turned on the lamp on the nightstand they found that the light wasn't the least bit comforting. Standing around them were three figures dressed all in black, their faces covered in ski masks. As Harold and Sierra recoiled in horror, they heard the sounds of a struggle and saw two more of the masked figures drag their son into the room, throwing him roughly to the floor. The boy was covered in bruises, one of his eyes was swollen shut from the beating, and blood trickled from his mouth.

Enraged, Harold and Sierra attacked the masked figures. One of them easily dodged Harold's punch, before hitting him in the back of the head with a baseball bat. Harold collapsed on the ground, moaning pitifully, as Sierra screamed. It didn't take long for the masked figures to grab her and throw her down on the bed, pinning her arms and legs so she couldn't escape.

"No hero to save you this time?" one of the masked figures demanded, looming over Sierra.

Sierra only struggled, begging the masked figures not to hurt her or her family. Finally, the masked figures released her limbs, and she was able to sit up on the bed.

"Just remember, Sierra…we'll be back," the lead figure threatened, as he smashed her in the face with the baseball bat.

It would be several hours before any of the Westons regained consciousness and were able to call the police and the paramedics, but it would be a much longer time before they would be able to sleep soundly at night.

* * *

Liz Allan couldn't imagine why Randy Robertson had wanted to meet her for lunch, particularly on such short notice. He had just called her out of the blue yesterday, asking her to meet him tomorrow. When she arrived at the Blue Star Restaurant, she found that Randy was already waiting for her. He'd been looking anxiously at the entrance to see when she'd arrive, and looked considerably relieved when she finally showed up.

"Thanks for coming, Liz," Randy said as she sat down. "I'm so glad you're here."

"What's wrong, Randy?" Liz asked in confusion. Randy seemed exceptionally nervous, wringing his hands nervously and looking from one direction to the other, and was pale with tension.

"There's something I need to ask you about Mary Jane," Randy finally said. "I…uh…"

"You think something's wrong with Mary Jane?" Liz asked, more gently this time.

"I don't really know how to phrase it," Randy admitted. "I'm just really worried about her."

"Why's that?" Liz wondered.

"I think she might be having some sort of problem," Randy explained, "but I'm just not sure what it is. I mean with the way she reacts when something goes wrong-she gets so stressed out that I worry about how she's handling it. She doesn't seem to want to talk to me about it, and I'm not really sure what to do. I want to help her, but I could use some advice. That's why I asked to meet with you-you've known her for a long time, right?"

"Yeah…" Liz trailed off, wondering how much she could or should tell Randy. She hated talking about Mary Jane behind her back like this, but she knew Randy was just worried.

"Mary Jane's always been a pretty guarded person," Liz said. "She was the beauty queen in high school, but she always tried to look available and be unobtainable. She'd come to parties and dances with a different guy on her arm every time, and she was always socializing as part of the dance team and everything like that, but she didn't exactly have many close friends."

"Why, though?" Randy blinked, remembering how well Mary Jane had fit in with their fellow cast members in _The Wiz _and with their fellow partygoers on New Year's Eve.

"I'm not exactly sure," Liz explained. "Mary Jane never wanted to talk to me about it, either. I don't think she had the best home life growing up. That might be part of the reason."

_Would that have had something to do with it? _Randy wondered, although he couldn't be sure. It seemed like a strange thing to do, but then he still couldn't be sure Mary Jane was really fighting crime as Spider-Woman.

"I just wish there was something I could do to help her," Randy frowned.

"Hey, you've already done plenty," Liz assured him. "Why don't you ask Mary Jane, though? She'd probably be comfortable telling you about it now."

"You might be right," Randy nodded, although privately he wasn't really sure. He didn't have any idea how Mary Jane would react if he asked her about being Spider-Woman, much less if she even **was **Spider-Woman to begin with. While a part of him was still angry at her for apparently keeping secrets, he'd also become increasingly uncertain, after what Liz had told him.

If Mary Jane really was Spider-Woman, was she doing it because of the problems she had growing up?

And if so, what did they have to do with it?

* * *

Working on her homework later that night, Liz couldn't help but think about the things Randy was asking her. She thought back to almost a year ago, when she'd been on the verge of being kidnapped by the murderous Harvey Broxtel, alias Firebrand, and had been rescued by the heroic Spider-Woman. Liz had to be treated for shock and smoke inhalation, and Mary Jane had come to visit her in the hospital…

_ Looking up in surprise, she saw the door open and Mary Jane come in, limping all the while. _

_ "Hey girlfriend," Mary Jane smiled at her oldest friend, wincing as she sat down. "How are you doing?" _

_ "How are you doing?" Liz asked ironically, noting how singed and burned Mary Jane seemed to be, noting the bandages on her arms. "Don't tell me you got caught up in Harvey's rampages…" _

_ "…Harvey?" Mary Jane asked in surprise, before Liz explained Firebrand's true identity and origins to her. _

_ Mary Jane only paled at the news, before a look of what seemed almost like understanding crossed her face. _

_ "Yeah, I got too close to one of the burning buildings," Mary Jane nodded. "I just want to see how you were feeling." _

_ "I'll just need to stay overnight," Liz reassured her, "and then I'll be released tomorrow. But what about you? You look like you could use the rest." _

_ "Oh, I got what I needed," Mary Jane replied, showing her bandaged arms and shoulders to Liz. "They said I'll be alright with some rest. I'm more worried about you, though-mind if I just sit with you for a while?" _

_ "Sure, that'd be great," Liz smiled in sincere appreciation, before she leaned back on her pillow to rest. _

_ Liz was indeed grateful for Mary Jane's presence, but at the back of her mind she reflected on everything that was wrong with this picture. _

_ Liz's training as a nurse told her full well that no one with the kinds of burns Mary Jane had suffered would be allowed to leave the hospital on the same day she had been treated. _

_ She thought back to the time she'd been kidnapped by Tarot, and found Mary Jane covered in scratches and bruises when they'd met afterwards. _

_ And then there was the fact that, to Liz at least, Mary Jane had always been a bad liar. _

_ Liz knew all these things, but she wasn't sure how to handle them._

_ As she drifted off to sleep, she continued going over it all in her mind. _

Why would Mary Jane be so reluctant to confide in Randy?

What was she hiding?

* * *

_That's about got it, _Mary Jane smiled to herself as she printed out the document she'd written on the library computer. _Boy, I'm glad I was able to get this done. Now I can concentrate on my other assignments…_

Once the document had printed out, she emerged from the Van Buren Library towards the Students' Union Building, where she was planning to meet Liz and Kitty for lunch. She had just started walking when she heard a voice calling out behind her. Turning around to see who it was, Mary Jane's face lit up as she recognized Julia Winhill, a friend she'd met in English class last year.

"I haven't seen you in a while," Mary Jane grinned. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good, all things considered," Julia nodded. "Work's been hell, though."

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked, as they set off together towards the Student's Union Building.

"I work for the _Daily Bugle,_" Julia explained. " and J. Jonah Jameson has a lot of axes to grind."

"What kind of axes?" Mary Jane wondered.

"You don't want to know," Julia laughed. "Suffice it to say that Jameson and Rudy Giuliani won't be sending each other Christmas cards any time soon."

"If you say so," Mary Jane shrugged, knowing little and caring even less about politics. "What kind of classes are you taking this year?"

"Political Science, History, Women's Studies, stuff like that. How about you?" Julia asked.

"Mostly my Drama classes, but I also decided to get rid of my social science requirements this year too," Mary Jane replied. "I got Criminology and Women's Studies."

"Criminology?" Julia blinked. "I didn't think you'd be interested in something like that."

"Well, when you're an attractive woman living in the most crime-ridden city in America, it's probably a reasonable precaution," Mary Jane frowned. She was telling the truth, although she didn't tell Julia the other reason she was taking the class, namely to see if she could learn anything from it that could help her crimefighting career as Spider-Woman.

"You're right," Julia frowned, as they entered into the Students' Union Building. "In fact, maybe I should-"

Julia was interrupted by a burst of screams and crashes echoing further in the building. Looking at one another in alarm, Mary Jane and Julia ran to see what was going on, and ran into a gruesome sight.

A large, gaping hole had been torn in the side of the building, with rubble scattered all over the floor. That wasn't what horrified Mary Jane or Julia, though, as they were more concerned with the bloodied and unconscious bodies of the students. There was little Mary Jane or Julia could do for any of them, however, because of the beams of golden light being shot everywhere. The source of the beams was an all-too-familiar figure in golden body armor with a silver helmet, gloves and boots, who Mary Jane recognized as Moonstone.

Moonstone was laughing hysterically, firing her energy beams in every direction, even as she flew towards the main foyer where most of the students stayed. Students screamed as debris came crashing down on them, forcing them to run every which way. Mary Jane ended up getting separated from Julia, and she looked frantically for some place to hide so she could change costume.

Unfortunately, Moonstone had already taken off and left the Student's Union Building, leaving a path of destruction in the process. As Mary Jane followed her outside, running to keep up as best she could, Moonstone flew at breakneck speed, her sole objective simply to cause as much chaos and destruction as possible. Unfortunately, the flood of people running from Moonstone's attacks got in Mary Jane's way and prevented her from being able to keep up with Moonstone. Mary Jane didn't want to change costume before she knew where Moonstone was headed, since she knew Moonstone could just as easily escape while she was occupied.

It all seemed to be a moot point, as another figure soon took off after Moonstone. At first, Mary Jane didn't recognize the tall, lean being in the blue body suit and purple cowl, gloves, boots and bandage-like arm and leg wrappings, much less the figure's green skin, but she soon realized that it was the form of the Sleepwalker, one of New York's more recent costumed heroes. Mary Jane saw him flying off in Moonstone's direction, no doubt to stop her destruction.

Realizing that Sleepwalker could probably handle Moonstone, Mary Jane felt a sudden sense of panic as she realized that Liz and Kitty had been waiting for her at the Students' Union Building. She had turned around to run back to the Building when she heard the cries for help. Turning in surprise, Mary Jane was horrified to see that part of a wall had fallen on several students, trapping them underneath it.

Calling for help, Mary Jane came over and began trying to shift the rubble enough so that the people trapped underneath could get out. Although it wasn't too difficult for Mary Jane to move the debris with her superhuman strength, she made sure to pantomime straining herself even as she kept calling for help, so that no one would suspect that she was stronger than she looked.

Finally, some larger male students came over to help her, and they were able to hold the debris in place while she slid in and freed the trapped students. Two of them were moaning and sobbing in pain as Mary Jane dragged them out, covered in bruises and their limbs twisted in fractures. The last student twitched feebly, but stopped moving right before Mary Jane touched him. As she managed to finally pull him out, she saw why he wasn't moving-he'd died from his injuries.

Mary Jane wanted to retch, but she forced herself to stand up and kept going back towards the Building, stopping twice more to help people who were trapped under fallen trees or other debris. Horror and anger filled her mind as she saw what Moonstone's victims had suffered, but those sentiments were soon replaced with worry as she wondered what had happened to her friends.

* * *

The scene inside the badly damaged Students' Union Building was no better. Looking around, Mary Jane saw badly injured and dead students, survivors comforting one another, and grim-faced emergency crews. Finally, to her immense relief she saw Kitty and Liz coming towards her, apparently unhurt. Unfortunately, Mary Jane's relief was shattered by the sound of Julia's voice crying. Following the sound, Mary Jane rounded the corner to where Julia was sitting next to a group of stressed-looking emergency crews. The paramedics were carefully placing someone into a gurney, which they raised.

Mary Jane managed to get a look at the young man on the gurney as the paramedics began to take him away. His body was bloodied and beaten, with a fractured arm and a broken leg, and looked as though he was struggling to breathe. Mary Jane felt like retching again, horrified by what had happened to him.

"…Julie?" Mary Jane asked gently, as Kitty and Liz approached. "Who was that?"

"…Who? Oh, Mary Jane," Julia replied. "That was my friend Rick. A part of the wall fell right on top of him…they don't know if he's going to make it…oh God…"

"Where are you going?" Mary Jane asked as Julia forced herself to her feet.

"I'm calling Rick's friends, and then I'm going to the hospital," Julia explained, trying to steel herself.

"Not by yourself, you're not," Mary Jane insisted. "Are you guys coming?" she asked Kitty and Liz who came to join them.

"Do you even need to ask?" Kitty blinked in astonishment. "Of course we'll come."

* * *

The young man's full name was Rick Sheridan, and he'd been taken to intensive care as soon as he'd reached the hospital. At Mary Jane's insistence, she'd been the one to call Kenny Anderson and let him know what was going on, not wanting Julia to get any more worked up than she already was. Kenny arrived at the hospital soon after, bringing two more people, one of whom was introduced to Mary Jane and the girls as Alyssa Conover, Rick's girlfriend. The other person was a large muscular man with thick brown hair in a sharp crew cut, who Mary Jane recognized as Red Ericsson, a member of Empire State University's varsity football team.

The strain on their faces was all too apparent to Mary Jane, who could tell they'd been through some rather trying experiences themselves. She took the lead in telling them what had happened to their friend Rick, as Julia was still too upset to talk and Liz and Kitty didn't seem comfortable explaining the situation. Rick's friends didn't really seem to feel like talking, and so the seven youths were reduced to waiting until the doctors were finished with Rick. It was a long day-Moonstone's rampage had left almost ten people dead and nearly two dozen wounded, including Rick-and no one was sure how long he'd need to be in surgery.

"Thanks for waiting with us," Kenny ventured, as he sat down next to Mary Jane. "You guys weren't hurt by that crazy Moonstone lady, were you?"

"…No," Mary Jane murmured. "But…it's just…why does this have to keep happening?"

"What do you mean?" Kenny asked, slightly alarmed by the vehemence in Mary Jane's tone.

"Supervillains are always using this city as their personal playground," Mary Jane said angrily. "And when the heroes try to stop them, people like Rick are always getting hurt in the crossfire! Why do these sick maniacs keep doing this? What's the goddamn point?" she asked, her eyes flashing angrily.

Kenny wasn't sure what to say.

"…I'm sorry," Mary Jane finally said. "I just hate seeing these things happen," she finished, clenching her hands in frustration.

Kenny patted her hand gently, saying something to comfort her.

Mary Jane wasn't really listening, though. Mary Jane was angry at what had happened to Rick and all of Moonstone's other victims, but she was also angry at herself. The last time Mary Jane had fought Moonstone as Spider-Woman, she'd completely failed to stop her from stealing the Enervator device she'd broken into Empire State's Physics Department to steal.

_If I'd done my job properly, this never would have happened, _Mary Jane realized, doing her best to hold back her tears.

_That psychotic bitch is running amuck out there, and it's my fault, _she thought to herself.

* * *

They were allowed to see Rick briefly, although he wasn't conscious. He looked like he was dead, hooked up to a respirator with his arm and leg in casts and his ribs heavily bandaged.

Although Mary Jane had her supervillain enemies hurt their victims many times before, this was one of the first times she'd gotten a good look at what those innocent bystanders actually went through. Hooked up to a respirator, his arm and leg in casts and his chest heavily bandaged, Rick was pale and thin, lying in what looked like a coma.

As she looked at Rick, Mary Jane felt Randy's words come flooding back to her. Perhaps more than since she'd ever begun fighting crime as Spider-Woman, Mary Jane realized just why so many people disliked and distrusted costumed heroes. If what happened to Rick was the result of super-powered fights, it was small wonder that so many of the people whose lives and livelihoods were endangered in the crossfire tended to deplore not only the villains, but the heroes.

It was a sobering reflection as Mary Jane headed home with Kitty and Liz, with the rest of Rick's friends escorting Julia back.

* * *

Jeff Hagrees stared down the length of his pool cue, measuring the angles and lining up his shot. Applying just the right amount of force, he expertly flicked the cue ball with his stick, causing it to bounce off the edge of the pool table and then hit the 8 ball at an angle, knocking it into the side pocket.

"Game, set and match!" Hagrees laughed. "That'll be four hundred bucks, my man."

"Yeah, yeah," Fred Foswell muttered, handing the cash over to Jeff. "You realize that somebody's going to kick your ass someday for the way you behave when you win?"

"A lot of people have already tried," Jeff replied unflappably. "They usually tend to stop after I break the cue stick over their heads."

"And that's how you paid for all your fancy gear when you became a supervillain, huh?" Foswell sneered, as they cleaned up the table. "By pool hustling?"

"No, by hustling the hustlers," Jeff grinned. "I find it's more fun to pretend to be a sucker, get the hustler to lure me in, and then fleece him. The looks on their faces when they get suckered are even better than the money."

Muttering in irritation, Foswell headed for the bar to get something to drink, as Jeff tried to get some of the other people in the lounge interested in a game. Most of the other employees were well aware of Jeff's pool skills, and none of them cared to get involved with what would be a sucker's bet.

The men who were involved in the upper echelons of the Kingpin's crime syndicate were not generally known for their stupidity or for taking unnecessary risks. If they were, they typically didn't last very long. The lounge where Jeff and several of the Kingpin's other minions were relaxing was one of the perks the Kingpin provided to men who'd earned their way up the ranks of the organization. Jeff Hagrees was one of the newer recruits to the Kingpin's organization, although he'd quickly won the approval of the Enforcers, the Kingpin's lieutenants who ran the day to day business of the Kingpin's syndicate, for his services.

As the costumed supervillain 8-Ball, he'd originally started out as an independent operator, but had since been recruited as one of the Kingpin's special enforcers after his initial battles with Sleepwalker. Jeff had recently attracted much notice in the supervillain community after the mob war that had rocked New York City last summer, one in which he'd killed the sadistic assassin Bullseye in a one-on-one fight. Since that time, his successful operations had made him one of the Kingpin's most valuable employees.

As Jeff headed for the bar, chuckling to himself, he found a large, powerfully built man blocking his path. The Ox was one of the Enforcers, specifically responsible for enforcement and violent crime, always giving orders from and giving messages to the mysterious, never-seen Kingpin. Many people, ranging from the majority of law enforcement agencies to many of the Kingpin's own men, thought that there was in fact no Kingpin and that the Enforcers were the true leaders of the syndicate. Jeff didn't particularly care, so long as he got paid for what he loved to do.

"How's it going, big guy?" Jeff grinned at the Ox, who earned his street name by virtue of his huge frame, nearly three hundred pounds of muscle, scarred and tattooed arms, and grizzled, hairy face.

"Not too shabby," the Ox grinned, belching before taking another drink from the mug of beer in his hand. "You ready to go back in the field?"

"Are you kidding?" Jeff snorted. "I've been going stir-crazy, waiting for a new job!"

"Well, you've got it," the Ox assured him. "You know that Captain Stacy is a guest lecturer at Empire State now?"

Jeff just spat on the floor. Every criminal in New York knew about George Stacy, Captain of the New York Police Department's Organized Crimes Unit. Under Stacy's leadership, the Organized Crimes Unit had become a major headache for New York's crime syndicates, skillfully exploiting last summer's mob war to cripple the syndicates of the Maggia and the Green Goblin.

"Well, the Kingpin wants to send him a little message," the Ox explained. "Specifically, he wants you to kill Stacy during his first lecture at ESU. It'll be a nice message to the NYPD, on top of getting rid of Stacy. After what that crazy Moonstone bitch did at Empire State, it'll have double the impact," he grinned wickedly.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love working for the Kingpin?" Jeff laughed.

* * *

"_Just look at it," _Vincent Gonzalez was telling the TV reporter. _"Rick Sheridan is a textbook example of what these super-powered maniacs do to ordinary people! It's just like what happened to my sister, and all those people at Macy's!" _

"_And where was Spider-Woman, the great and noble superhero, when Rick and Moonstone's other victims needed her?" _Vincent spat in disgust. _"Moonstone is supposed to be one of her enemies, isn't she? Spider-Woman thinks that she's some big bad hero, but she can't even do her damn job properly!" _

"_So, this is Spider-Woman's fault?" _the reporter asked.

"_Who else would it be?" _Vincent scoffed. _"If she were any kind of real hero, she'd have stopped Moonstone by now! Instead, people like Rick Sheridan suffer because of her incompetence!"_

Laughing at the report, Dr. Karla Sofen closed the file. It had been an invigorating several days, tearing through Empire State University, Madison Square Garden, Central Park, Times Square and several other New York landmarks. From everything her bot program had found, Moonstone was being widely talked about both on conventional news sources and among her fellow New York supervillains on the Outsider Network.

Everything was finally coming together, and she was ready to begin the final step of her plan.

It was time.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane and Randy each try to figure out how to deal with their suspicions and fears regarding Mary Jane's crimefighting career as Spider-Woman. Meanwhile, Liz Allan tries to figure out what's going as well, as Randy's questions have led to her having questions of her own. Vincent Gonzalez's hate campaign against Spider-Woman starts to pick up steam, and Dr. Karla Sofen begins to put the final phase of her plan into action, as she revives the Tomorrow Legion! Mary Jane has more immediate problems, however, as she's forced to confront the murderous, billiards-based 8-Ball when he tries to murder Captain George Stacy! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #40: Puppet Dance, Part One: Dancing On A String!_)

_**NOTE**_

This issue is part of a crossover with the Ultimate Sleepwalker series. Reading the issues in both of the series starting with issue #39 of Ultimate Spider-Woman and issue #62 for Ultimate Sleepwalker will allow for the entire story to be fully understood before the Sleepwalker/Spider-Woman Crossover Special coming soon!


	45. Puppet Dance Part 2: Dancing On A String

Her homework had helped her stay distracted, as had continuing to read through the latest _Twilight _novel, but now Mary Jane Watson had finished them both. Unfortunately, now she didn't have anything to do, and Mary Jane found her thoughts drifting back to the grisly things costumed supervillains could do to their victims. In her mind, she saw her Aunt Anna bound at her wrists, ankles and throat with wire, Rick Sheridan lying in a coma in the hospital and her father Phillip with a hole blown in his chest, lying dead with a look of pure terror on his face.

As the spectacular Spider-Woman, Mary Jane had seen the massacres committed by her supervillain enemies, monsters like Supercharger and Firebrand. She'd been horrified and saddened by the tragedies, of course, but the reality of what supervillain victims had to face had become all the more apparent to Mary Jane when the victims were people she knew, or were friends of people she knew. She was also connected to them as Spider-Woman, given that her enemies Moonstone and Jack O' Lantern were the ones who had hurt them before she could finally stop them. Supercharger's rampage at Macy's Department Store was another example, given that the electrically-powered maniac had done it to force Spider-Woman to fight him.

Seeing Rick Sheridan in the hospital had reminded Mary Jane of all this. Try as she might, she couldn't keep herself from wondering if all this suffering was somehow her fault. After all, she was the one who had failed to stop Moonstone, and she was the one who Supercharger was so obsessed with.

Once again, Mary Jane found herself hugging her teddy bear Theodore, which always cheered her up whenever she was feeling stressed out.

She was doing a lot of that these days.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #40

PUPPET DANCE, PART TWO

"DANCING ON A STRING"

* * *

Randy Robertson had a lot on his mind as well, wondering about how to handle the issues he was having with his girlfriend Mary Jane. After Mary Jane had mysteriously disappeared during a crime spree caused by the bizarre supervillain showman called the Brothers Grimm, and then reappeared with strange wounds, Randy had begun to wonder if she might have been a costumed superheroine. Mary Jane had been evasive about where she was when she'd disappeared, and Randy could instinctively tell she was lying to him. However, Randy couldn't be sure his instincts were right, and Mary Jane might just have been terrified enough to run away.

Randy had always been suspicious of costumed superheroes, particularly given the way that they hid their identities behind masks and costumes. There was no way of keeping any of them accountable, or of knowing whether they might just decide to go bad and commit the same kind of crimes as the supervillains they fought. Randy also wasn't fond of the way their supervillain enemies kept trying to get revenge on them, as the innocent bystanders of New York were typically the ones to get hurt by it.

Now, the question of where Mary Jane had gone on New Year's Eve was hanging in the air, as was the feeling that Mary Jane was lying. Neither Randy or Mary Jane was directly dealing with the issue, something that grated on Randy's nerves. He hated leaving these kinds of things hanging without knowing where he stood on them one way or another.

_I can't let things go like this, _Randy thought to himself. _I should ask Mary Jane what's really going on. If there's really nothing going on, then we can just drop the issue. But if Mary Jane's really Spider-Woman, then I can get an idea of why she never told me about it…and why she's doing it. _

That was the reason Randy hadn't already confronted Mary Jane. Her friend Liz Allan had told Randy about Mary Jane's difficult childhood, which made him wonder if that had affected her decision to become a superhero…if in fact she was Spider-Woman in the first place.

_In that case, maybe we can talk it out, _Randy realized. _Maybe there's some way I can help her…_

Anger at being lied to was being replaced more and more with confusion, as Randy tried to imagine what Mary Jane must be going through.

* * *

Vincent Gonzalez read through the updates his friends were sending him, his smile growing wider and wider. Ever since he'd started his hate campaign against Spider-Woman, his following had rapidly grown. His supporters included anti-mutant crusaders who thought that Spider-Woman was a mutant, anti-superhero activists and street criminals who'd been caught by Spider-Woman. Almost thirty of them had volunteered their money, their services or their connections. They paid for the Internet site and other promotional materials he was using to promote his movement, they used their connections to get him media interviews, and they were serving as boots on the ground in other areas.

The last of these areas was the one Vincent was most proud of. Ever since his hate campaign had begun, he'd been receiving angry e-mails and web postings from people who admired Spider-Woman, either because she'd saved them at some point or because they were general superhero fans in general. Vincent had been carefully keeping a list of the people who'd been criticizing his movement, and he'd been carefully planning his responses.

Harold and Sierra Weston were the first of the Spider-Woman supporters who Vincent had arranged to give a particularly blunt rebuttal to. They'd been among the people who were at Macy's Department Store when Supercharger had attacked the place to draw Spider-Woman out, having taken their son to see Santa Claus. When they'd heard about Vincent's anti-Spider-Woman campaign, they'd angrily contacted him for it, claiming that Spider-Woman had saved them all from the electrically charged maniac.

The beating Vincent's supporters had given the Westons was just the first step, of course. Spider-Woman hadn't been there when the Westons needed her, and she wouldn't be there for any of her other fans when Vincent's friends paid them a "visit" as well.

That fact would make for some excellent media copy, proving just how ineffective Spider-Woman, and by extension all these "superheroes", actually were.

* * *

While Liz Allan wasn't really troubled by the matter, she was somewhat puzzled as to why Mary Jane was reluctant to confide in Randy about the problems she was supposedly having, and what she could be hiding. The matter had mostly passed out of Liz's mind in the week and a half since Randy had asked her about it, but it had come back to her a couple of days ago when Liz, Mary Jane and their friend Kitty Pryde had gone out to the Blue Star restaurant for some drinks and dancing.

Whatever was up with Mary Jane, it was clearly bothering Randy. Liz couldn't imagine what it was, as Mary Jane seemed to have gotten over all her old anger issues and had come to terms with her father's death. While Mary Jane's emotional nature had made her stress over her grades and her money problems, Liz hadn't noticed anything about Mary Jane that would have given her more cause for concern.

The strange injuries Mary Jane had suffered weren't necessarily all that unusual, given that New Yorkers lived under the constant threat of supervillain attacks every day, with the exception of the burns Mary Jane had when she'd come to visit Liz in the hospital after Liz had been attacked by Firebrand. Mary Jane had been lying about that-Liz had always known Mary Jane as a bad liar, and her training as a nurse told her that Mary Jane would never have been discharged from the hospital with the burns she'd suffered-but she was perplexed nonetheless by why Mary Jane would be out and about, and why she'd be lying about it.

Whether or not she should ask Mary Jane about it was another question entirely. She'd already advised Randy to talk to Mary Jane about his concerns, but she wasn't sure if she should be doing the same thing. There didn't seem to be anything wrong, so why bother Mary Jane?

Even as Liz told herself that, the doubts continued to lurk at the back of her mind.

* * *

"The media perpetrates specific standards of worth for both men and women related to sexuality," Professor Moore explained in her Women's Studies class the next day. "The worth of men is judged by things like how many sexual partners they have. Having a lot of sex makes them 'real men', while having one partner might lead them to be accused of being 'whipped' by their girlfriends or wives. Being a virgin is something that men have to be ashamed of."

"With women, it's almost the other way around," Professor Moore continued, as her students read the notes she was projecting from her computer onto a screen hanging from the wall. "Women are judged on their physical attractiveness, as you might expect, but they're also judged based on how little sex they have. Being a virgin is something a lot of men like to see, while women who have a lot of sexual activity is often called a whore, a slut, use whatever epithet you like," she sighed.

Mary Jane rubbed her chin as she thought about that. In high school, she'd been too guarded to have sex, and had always refused the advances of the boys she'd dated whenever they proposed it. It was part of her strategy to look available and be unobtainable, keeping the boys interested enough to want to date her but keeping them at enough of a distance that they couldn't get too close.

"Isn't there another aspect to it, though?" another student spoke up. "I've noticed that a lot of prominent women who've entered traditionally male-dominated professions like politics or business are still evaluated on their looks and more generally sexualized."

"That's true, unfortunately," Professor Moore nodded. "Female politicians, businesspeople, athletes and other professionals are often sexualized in ways that their male counterparts aren't."

Mary Jane frowned at that, being reminded of the way many of the male villains and criminals she fought had hit on her when she'd first started out as Spider-Woman. Anger rose up within her as she then recalled the posters on Vincent Gonzalez's Spider-Woman hate site, when many of the people who'd posted on the site had made lewd comments about her, some even going so far as to express a desire to sexually assault her.

Once again, Mary Jane bitterly realized that male heroes like Spider-Man, Captain America or Daredevil probably didn't have to worry about that sort of thing.

* * *

As part of the requirements for her Drama degree, Mary Jane was required to take a certain number of credits in non-fine arts courses. She had already dealt with most of the social science requirements of her degree with the Biology courses she'd taken with Dr. Curt Connors, and this semester she'd decided to take care of the social science credits her degree required. One of the social science courses she'd decided to take was Professor Moore's Women's Studies class, and the other one was Criminology.

Although Mary Jane would probably never have otherwise taken a class having to do with the justice system, she thought that this class might help her somehow when she fought crime as Spider-Woman. So far the class hadn't been anything special, though. Her experiences as Spider-Woman had given Mary Jane an idea of what Professor Vargas was talking about, so she had a head start in a class that was meant for students who were completely new to learning about the justice system.

Now, as the month of January was coming to a close, Professor Vargas had prepared a special surprise for the class. He'd arranged for a special guest lecturer to help teach the class, one who could give the students additional insight from his years of experience as a member of the New York Police Department. To Mary Jane's surprise, the guest lecturer turned out to be Captain George Stacy, head of the NYPD's Organized Crime unit. Although Mary Jane had never met him either in her civilian identity or as Spider-Woman, she'd heard Peter Parker praise him as one of the best and most competent officers on the force.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Captain Stacy smiled at the students as he stood at the lecture hall podium. "It's a pleasure to be here, and I hope you'll find my lectures worthwhile. Professor Vargas has been bugging me to do this for a few years now-this is probably the one occasion where I won't go to jail for accepting a bribe," he grinned, prompting several snickers from the class. Captain Stacy was a tall, imposing man with a thick mane of salt-and-pepper hair, conveying both an air of stern authority and a gentler paternal kindness. He was older than Mary Jane would have expected, although his well-toned figure and bright blue eyes radiated a spirit that belied his age.

"I thought I'd start things off by giving you an overview of the various task forces within the police department, and how they relate to what you've been discussing so far," Captain Stacy began, shuffling his notes. "The NYPD has several task forces, all of which are dedicated to particular types of crime. For instance, there's the Homicide unit, there's the Vice unit, the Hate Crimes unit, the Superhuman Activities unit, the Gang unit and the Organized Crimes unit. My unit, as you might expect, is related to the organized criminal cartels that unfortunately operate in New York. My responsibilities include-"

That was as far as Captain Stacy got in his lecture, as the wall of the lecture hall was smashed open by something that hurtled through it with frightening speed. The students screamed and got up from their chairs, startled by the impact, until they got a good look at the object that had broken through the wall. It looked like a large coffee table, one of the ones set outside for students to sit and study at. Confusion replaced shock as the students murmured to each other, wondering what could have hurled the table through the wall.

The answer wasn't long in coming. Stepping through the hole in the wall was a man clad in what looked like a suit of black Kevlar body armor, with white gloves and boots. Bizarrely, he held what looked like a cue stick in one hand, and carried a bag of billiard balls at his waist. Perhaps most strangely of all was his helmet, which was painted to resemble a giant 8 ball. A few of the students gave shocked cries of recognition, as did Captain Stacy, who knew him all too well. He was known as a rising star in the supervillain community, having gained notoriety from his battles with the mysterious costumed hero Sleepwalker, his gaining employment with the Kingpin, his blowing up the Domino Pool Hall and his killing the hired assassin Bullseye in single combat.

"Ah, name recognition," 8-Ball sighed mockingly, glancing around the room. "This is a Criminology course, isn't it? Well, you kids are pretty lucky-you're about to get a lot more education than you bargained for!"

In response, Captain Stacy had whipped out his gun and prepared to shoot at 8-Ball, but the costumed criminal was quicker. Stepping behind one of the chairs in the front row of the lecture hall, he flicked it with his cue stick. Unbelievably, the chair was torn from its roots and flew at Captain Stacy like a guided missile, perfectly guided by 8-Ball's sure aim. His cue stick was a miracle of propulsion engineering, able to take any force applied to it and magnify it a thousand times, turning anything it struck into a potentially lethal missile. Captain Stacy ducked behind the podium to try and avoid the missile, but the chair simply smashed into and through it, catching him in the chest and sending him flying back to crash heavily into the wall. The blow would have killed Captain Stacy if it hadn't been slowed down by the podium, but as it was Stacy's entire body was throbbing with pain and he could barely move.

Several of the students screamed and ran in terror, while some of the others, as well as Professor Vega, attacked 8-Ball to try and protect Captain Stacy. Mary Jane was the only student who did neither, joining in with the rest of the students who were running while quickly glancing around for a place she could change costume.

* * *

Professor Vega and the students who tried to protect Captain Stacy could have been praised for their courage, but their efforts to stop 8-Ball were utterly futile. Leaping out of the way of their clumsy attacks, 8-Ball pulled a billiard ball out of the pouch at his side and threw it on the floor. The ball bomb exploded into a thick choking gas that caused Professor Vega and the students to wheeze and gag, falling to the floor and completely unable to fight back.

"Sad," 8-Ball shook his head as he turned to Captain Stacy. "Looks like that'll be all she wrote, Captain-if Sleepwalker were going to try and stop me, he'd have shown up by now. So, I'll just be repeating my head-in-the-garbage-can trick," he grinned, holding up his cue stick, "and it's game over."

8-Ball never got the chance to line up his cue shot, as a bolt of energy shot out from the side and nearly struck him. The experienced criminal rolled out of the way and stood up, expecting to see Sleepwalker waiting to fight him. What he actually saw was another matter entirely-a beautiful young woman clad in a red and gold costume, with long black hair and a determined look on her angelic face.

"So much for Sleepwalker showing up to try and stop me," 8-Ball frowned. "It's…Spider-Woman, isn't it?" he asked, slowly edging around behind the broken podium. "Never thought I'd run into someone like you-don't you usually fight guys like Polestar, Firebrand or Will O' the Wisp?" he asked her.

Spider-Woman didn't answer, shooting a double blast of webbing at 8-Ball in an attempt to entangle him. 8-Ball replied by flicking the broken base of the podium with his cue stick, sending it flying at Spider-Woman. The podium flew at her, knocking her webbing aside, and slammed into the wall as she dodged it. Springing into the air and swinging on a webline, she prepared to shoot another line of webbing at 8-Ball with her free hand. 8-Ball was faster than she expected, ducking behind the desk at the front of the lecture hall. He sent it flying at her with his cue stick, aiming it perfectly so that it caught Spider-Woman full on as she was swinging by. Losing her grip on her webline, Spider-Woman fell and crashed into the rows of chairs and desks below her, as the desk landed on top of her.

Pain exploded through Spider-Woman's body as she threw the large desk off her and struggled to her feet. She didn't dare use her sting blasts while 8-Ball was standing among the students, who were all too sick to get out of the way. Her mind raced as she thought of what to do, realizing that 8-Ball could just as easily attack Captain Stacy, Professor Vega or the students himself. 8-Ball clearly knew it too, pointing his cue stick at the nearest prone student as he pulled a ball bomb from his bag with his free hand.

"Why are you doing this?" Spider-Woman demanded, slowly moving to the side.

"Captain Stacy here is the head of the NYPD Organized Crime unit," 8-Ball explained, watching Spider-Woman warily. "I work for the Kingpin, head of one of this city's major crime cartels. Do the math," he sneered.

"Okay, so why kill him here and now?" Spider-Woman asked him, reaching the steps that stood between the rows of desks and the wall of the lecture theatre.

"Public exposure, of course," 8-Ball said matter-of-factly, constantly shifting his glance between Spider-Woman and Captain Stacy to make sure neither one of them tried anything funny. "This way, we send a nice, public message to the NYPD."

"That's sick," Spider-Woman muttered in disgust, her hands sparkling with the energy of her sting blasts.

"I'm a sick man," 8-Ball smirked behind his helmet. "That's why I'm going to throw this ball bomb if you try anything funny. It's full of rather nasty shrapnel. That stuff won't hurt me through my armor, it'll hurt a lot of these kids really badly if you try anything funny. All I need to do is crush Captain Stacy's skull, and then I'll be on my way."

"That's not going to happen," Spider-Woman warned him.

"Look, kid," 8-Ball shot back, his eyes narrowing behind his helmet, "either Captain Stacy's head becomes my cueball, or all these people are going to be picking shrapnel out of their asses. What's it going to be?" he demanded.

"How about neither?" Spider-Woman demanded, leaping towards 8-Ball. The billiard-headed killer moved to throw the ball bomb, but Spider-Woman caught it in midair with a webline and threw it over her shoulder towards the back of the lecture hall. The ball bomb exploded, releasing a hail of shrapnel blades, but they were too far away to hurt anyone. With her other hand, Spider-Woman shot a webline at 8-Ball, catching him in the chest. As she landed on the floor, she swung the webline, flinging 8-Ball out the door of the lecture hall and away from Captain Stacy and the others. 8-Ball landed heavily on the floor of the foyer, grunting in pain from the collision and rolling across the floor before leaping to his feet.

Spider-Woman had taken a risky gamble in trying to catch the ball bomb with her webbing before it hit anything, but it had paid off. Now, with more room to maneuver and 8-Ball away from Captain Stacy and the others, she could go after him with everything she had. Jumping into the air to avoid the chair that 8-Ball flicked at her with his cue stick, she fired back with her bioelectric stings, forcing 8-Ball to dodge. Clinging to the walls, she kept up firing at 8-Ball, keeping him off balance until he threw another ball bomb at her. Firing yet another sting blast at this bomb, it exploded in a bright flash of light, blinding Spider-Woman and leaving her vulnerable to the piece of broken rubble 8-Ball flicked at her with his cue stick.

The rubble smashed into Spider-Woman and caused her to lose her grip on the wall, falling to the floor. With lightning speed, 8-Ball flicked yet another piece of debris at her, following up quickly with a ball bomb that burst into a slippery pile of ooze that spread all over the floor. Losing her footing, Spider-Woman fell off balance and was unable to avoid being hit by yet another chair flicked at her by 8-Ball's cue stick. Dizziness spun through her head as she slammed into the far wall, seemingly slumping to the ground.

His battles with Sleepwalker having taught him never to underestimate any superhero, 8-Ball walked over to Spider-Woman only to see her spring to her feet yet again. Leaping over the ball bomb he threw at her, Spider-Woman landed behind 8-Ball. As they turned to face each other, Spider-Woman shot a sting blast at 8-Ball, forcing him to dodge. She then fired a webline at him with her other hand, deliberately missing as she snagged the chair behind 8-Ball. Pulling it back reflexively, she used it to knock 8-Ball off balance and forced him to drop the next ball bomb he was readying to throw at her. The ball bomb exploded at his feet, blowing him back.

Spider-Woman fired her webbing again, intending to entangle him, but 8-Ball wasn't finished. Rolling out of the way of her webbing, he threw yet another ball bomb, one that exploded in a flash of light, although this time Spider-Woman was prepared and shielded her eyes before the burst exploded in full. 8-Ball moved to a nearby table and flicked it at her once more, but this time Spider-Woman saw it coming and dodged yet again. She fired a webline at 8-Ball with one hand, but he dodged it, just as he dodged the chair Spider-Woman pulled at him.

That was what Spider-Woman had anticipated. With her free hand, she fired a sting blast directly at 8-Ball's cue stick, shattering the front part of it. As 8-Ball dropped the cue stick, shouting in alarm, she quickly snagged the bag of ball bombs at his side and pulled it away, leaving 8-Ball defenseless. The billiard-based killer tried to run, but Spider-Woman blasted him off his feet with a sting blast and quickly caught up with him as he tried to get to his feet. She wasted no time entangling him in webbing for the police she could already hear in the distance, before making haste to return to where she'd kept her street clothes.

* * *

To Mary Jane's relief, neither her classmates, Professor Vega or Captain Stacy had noticed she was missing. The thick sweater and jeans she had been wearing as street clothes also concealed almost all the bruises she'd suffered as Spider-Woman, and the one bruise on her cheek she could explain as coming from the debris 8-Ball had sent flying when he'd smashed his way into the lecture theater. Best of all, she found that while Captain Stacy was badly hurt, the paramedics assured everyone that his injuries were not life-threatening. Captain Stacy even joked that he would just spend his convalescing time at a desk job, something he probably should have done a long time ago.

While her injuries were painful, Mary Jane knew that they would heal soon enough. She was just glad she'd been able to save Captain Stacy, especially considering all the other hassles she was dealing with as Spider-Woman.

Now, if only she could figure out what to say to Randy…

* * *

Yancy Street was commonly known as the "ass crack of New York", an epithet given for what usually tended to come out of it. It was known throughout New York, and even New York State, as a hive of prostitution, drug dealing and gang violence. Every law-abiding person who could afford to do so had long fled Yancy Street, while those few that remained lived in fear of the thugs and criminals who made the street their base of dealings. Most feared of all was the Yancy Street Gang, a collection of vicious gangbangers who ran the street as their own personal fiefdom and made sure that the independent pimps and drug dealers paid very dearly for the privilege of being able to operate on their turf.

There were some powers that even the Yancy Street Gang knew better than to mess with, however. One building was a rundown community centre, constructed in better times when there was still a flicker of hope for Yancy Street. The criminals and the few law-abiding residents who still remained both gave the centre a very wide berth, for it had been the headquarters of the Tomorrow Legion, an informal crime cartel made up of supervillains who had decided to pool their efforts for greater profit and greater mayhem. While Spider-Woman had defeated Jack O' Lantern, the ghoulish criminal mastermind who'd first formed the Legion, its original crime spree had been very successful and the criminals who'd participated decided to keep it going. However, they had elected Doctor Octopus as the Legion's new leader.

Instead of running the Legion as the collaborative, mutually profitable enterprise that Jack O' Lantern had envisioned, Doctor Octopus ran it more like an incarnation of the Masters of Evil. Octopus treated the other villains like his subordinates, ordering them around and directing them to perform only the missions he himself wanted, instead of incorporating their own projects into his larger plan the way Jack O' Lantern would have. The rest of the Legion deeply resented Octopus's arrogant, dictatorial leadership, and so none of them made any move to help him when Moon Knight fought and defeated the eight-limbed supervillain. The Legion eventually dissolved, as many of the villains had become disillusioned by Octopus's treating them like his hired thugs.

Now, though, someone was trying to revive the Legion. Moonstone was a rising star in the supervillain world, having distinguished herself in her initial service to Doctor Octopus when she joined his version of the Legion, as well as the increasingly destructive crimes she had been committing. So it was that many of New York's supervillains eagerly accepted Moonstone's invitations to meet them at the site where Jack O' Lantern had founded the first version of the Tomorrow Legion.

Moonstone cut a distinguished figure as she strode out on stage in front of the myriad costumed criminals in the audience, all of whom stared at her expectantly. Everything was ready-over the past several weeks she'd been committing increasingly destructive crimes to boost her reputation, talking to her fellow villains about the Legion in informal settings to get them thinking about it and associate it with her, and in her civilian guise of Dr. Karla Sofen had arranged the escape of several inmates of the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, whose actions would strengthen her argument, as did the random crimes committed by various other supervillains.

The energy was at a boil, eagerly awaiting release. Now, with the right words and tone of voice, Moonstone would direct and shape that energy to her own ends.

"It's been an eventful few weeks, hasn't it?" Moonstone started out by addressing her audience.

Some of the villains mumbled to one another in confusion, wondering what she was talking about.

Good, she wanted them open to her ideas.

"Mr. FX and the Brothers Grimm running amuck on New Year's Eve," Moonstone explained. "Flying Tiger robbing that telethon for the victims of supervillain crime. The Brothers Grimm and the hostages he took. Lady Deathstrike and her attempt to murder the governor at that Rangers game. Supercharger and his killing spree at Macy's Department Store. Speedfreek attacking that mutant rights parade. The Ice Princess and her Fifth Avenue robberies. 8-Ball trying to kill Captain George Stacy. What do all these things have in common?"

"They're all crimes," the Porcupine pointed out. "What's your point?"

"Acting on their own, most of those criminals failed. That was because they didn't take the opportunity to pool their resources and combine their mayhem with those of the other criminals. The wounds they caused were scattershot, each easier to heal from on its own."

"What are you talking about?" Sandman wondered.

She had their attention now, wondering what she was getting at.

"Have you ever heard of 'death by a thousand cuts?'" Moonstone asked her audience. "It's a rather fascinating way of killing someone-they bleed to death from a thousand shallow cuts. Each wound may not be very much on its own, but their combined effort will seriously weaken and eventually kill the victim. That's what we're capable of as the Tomorrow Legion, causing more pain and making more money when we each apply a cut at just the right time," she grinned, revealing a line of perfect white teeth.

Several of the more sadistic villains in the audience grinned and laughed, as they began talking to one another. Others were clearly dreaming of the additional profits that they could reap from coordinating their crimes.

She had them on the line, and now she just had to reel them in.

"Jack O' Lantern might have been defeated by Spider-Woman, but most of the other villains who participated made a pretty nice profit, didn't they? I notice that there are a lot of you here tonight," she continued, noticing the smiles and cheers from several of the villains in the audience. "After the way Doctor Octopus treated you like subordinates, like petty henchmen. That wasn't what the Legion was for!"

They were all attention now, as she'd spoken directly to what they were thinking. Octopus had made a hash of the Legion, but when Jack O' Lantern was in charge it had been both profitable and fun.

"And with me as the leader, that's what the Legion will be like again!" Moonstone proclaimed, her voice rising in pitch. "Jack O' Lantern's dream lives on with me, a dream where you are active participants, where your plans join with mine! Together we can crush anyone who stands in our way! Together we can bleed this city dry! Together we are Legion!"

The eager cries and shouts told Moonstone that she had them eating out of her hand. They yearned for a return to Jack O' Lantern's version of the Legion, where they were active partners, rather than mere henchmen.

She smiled at that thought, particularly since they didn't realize they were playing right into her true plan.

Let them rob their banks and murder their victims, it didn't matter. They were dancing on her strings, like the puppets they were.

Dancing towards her ultimate goal.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane has faced many foes as Spider-Woman, surviving against overwhelming odds. However, can she, and all of New York, hope to possibly survive against Moonstone's new Tomorrow Legion? Not only must Spider-Woman deal with Moonstone, but she and the rest of New York's heroes must struggle to contain a mass supervillain crime spree. Even that is not the only issue Spider-Woman faces, when she discovers the horrifying truth behind Moonstone's plan and her true goal! All this and more in the _Sleepwalker/Spider-Woman Crossover: Master Of Puppets!_)


	46. Puppet Dance, Part 3: Master Of Puppets

The Sleepwalker gazed out over the New York skyline, his face a mask of determination. Normally he would have enjoyed the sight of the beautiful city lights glimmering against the night sky, which evoked memories of his home in the Mindscape, the otherworldly dimension that connected the minds of all living creatures in existence. Tonight, however, it only served to remind Sleepwalker of how vast New York City truly was, and how ultimately futile his search for the villainous Moonstone was.

For over a week and a half, Sleepwalker's human host Rick Sheridan had been lying in a coma, badly injured by one of Moonstone's rampages at Empire State University. Rick's unconsciousness had released the Sleepwalker from his mind, and the alien warrior had sought to avenge his human friend and bring Moonstone to justice, but she'd managed to escape when Sleepwalker had been forced to help the victims of her attack. Since that time, Sleepwalker had been searching for Moonstone, in between conducting his regular patrols to protect the innocent people of New York from criminals. While Sleepwalker hadn't been able to track down Moonstone, he had rescued several hundred people who were being held hostage by the Brothers Grimm, a psychopathic showman that was in effect two people in one, and who had been forcing his hostages to watch the warped "performances" he put on with his magical creations.

Sleepwalker had been badly injured in the aftermath of that fight, and the simple strain of being in the physical world for so long had taken its toll on him. His race needed mental energy to sustain itself and heal its wounds, and Sleepwalker typically got what he needed when he rested in Rick's mind by absorbing energy through Rick's connection to the Mindscape. Normally Sleepwalker would be pulled back into Rick's mind whenever Rick woke up from sleep or otherwise regained consciousness, but that was before he'd been put into a coma. Sleepwalker had been forced to draw the mental energy he needed from Rick's friends while they slept, using **their **connections to the Mindscape, over and above what they took for themselves.

Frustration was evident in Sleepwalker's features as he pondered his next move. He hated the way he had to hover over Rick's friends while they slept so he could absorb mental energy from the Mindscape through them, even though they'd been the ones to encourage him to do it. He felt a growing sense of anxiety over Rick's condition-he didn't know how long humans could or would be able to survive in a coma, or what kind of condition Rick would be in if and when he finally woke up. He felt a growing sense of hopelessness that he was ever going to find Moonstone, who had apparently gone to ground after her last set of rampages.

The Sleepwalker simply couldn't figure out what to do next.

* * *

Across town, a beautiful young woman with long, fire-red hair and bright green eyes was laying in bed, her mind racing as she tried to get to sleep. Ever since she'd begun fighting crime as the spectacular Spider-Woman, Mary Jane Watson had been confronted with all kinds of complications in both her civilian and her costumed life, and it was just as true today as when she'd started over a year ago.

Her relationship with her boyfriend Randy Robertson had hit a rough patch ever since New Year's Eve when she'd had to run out on him to fight a supervillain as Spider-Woman, and he clearly hadn't believed the feeble excuses she'd tried to make. Now, there was a serious tension between them as Randy suspected Mary Jane of hiding something from him, although so far they'd been dancing around the question. Mary Jane might have told Randy about her dual identity, but he'd been rather blunt in his dislike of costumed superheroes and she was afraid of how he'd react if she told him about being a costumed heroine herself.

Things weren't much better for her as Spider-Woman, either. After the maniacal, electrically-charged supervillain stalker who called himself Supercharger had murdered several of Spider-Woman's critics as a way of proclaiming his sick "love" for her, the brother of one of those victims had started an online hate campaign against her. That was bad enough by itself, but several of the contributors to the campaign had used rather disgusting sexual language and bragged about what they'd have liked to do to her if they got the chance, something Mary Jane doubted they'd have said if they'd displayed their hatred of a male hero like Daredevil or Darkhawk.

She'd also seen another grisly example of what supervillains could do to their victims when she'd seen Rick Sheridan lying unconscious in a hospital bed, clinging to life. Although Mary Jane hadn't known Rick herself, her friends Julia Winhill and Kenny Anderson had been friends of Rick's, and judging from their reactions Rick wasn't the first one of their friends that had suffered at a supervillain's hands. It was the latest in a series of grim experiences Mary Jane had witnessed, from her father being murdered and her Aunt Anna taken hostage by Jack O' Lantern to her friend Kitty Pryde being harassed by human bigots and mutant extremists alike after being outed as a mutant.

What made Rick's case stand out in Mary Jane's mind was the fact that he'd been injured by her old enemy Moonstone. Twice before, Mary Jane had confronted Moonstone as Spider-Woman, but in their first battle Moonstone had escaped and in their second fight she'd outright defeated Spider-Woman and gotten away with the Enervator machine she'd been sent to steal. Mary Jane realized that it was partly because of her incompetence that Moonstone was still on the loose. If she'd done her job as Spider-Woman, Moonstone would be behind bars now.

That made Mary Jane feel especially guilty, not just for Rick but for all of Moonstone's most recent victims. She might have gone after Moonstone when the light-casting villain appeared at Empire State, but when she'd seen Sleepwalker flying after her she'd assumed that he'd be able to handle it. More likely Sleepwalker had gotten caught up in helping Moonstone's victims, allowing Moonstone to make her escape. Not that Mary Jane could really blame Sleepwalker, as she would have done the same thing in his place.

Mary Jane slowly drifted off to sleep, her thoughts whirling with everything she was trying to deal with. While she was glad she had been able to save Captain George Stacy from being murdered by the sadistic billiards-based criminal known as 8-Ball, that didn't get her any closer to bringing Moonstone to justice, or in solving any of her other problems.

Mary Jane simply couldn't figure out what to do next.

* * *

SLEEPWALKER/SPIDER-WOMAN CROSSOVER #1

PUPPET DANCE, PART THREE

"MASTER OF PUPPETS"

* * *

_Death by a thousand cuts, _Dr. Karla Sofen mused to herself as she worked diligently on her home computer. _The victim bleeds out more slowly and painfully than if you'd simply shot him, and you profit all the more in both profit and pleasure. _

She burst into laughter in spite of herself, before marveling at how easily it came to her. As Moonstone, she'd burst into laughter much the same way when Sleepwalker had confronted her about why she was running amuck at Empire State University. Moonstone replied that she'd been doing it because she could, and even now she still recalled the thrill she felt at the time.

_This, __**this **__is what it feels like to be a supervillain, _Dr. Sofen realized, as she continued to transcribe all the theories, observations and other notes she'd come up with over the last year she'd spent analyzing the mentalities of costumed criminals. _The rush, the power…the feeling of knowing you can do anything to anyone…_

It was everything Dr. Sofen had dreamed of when she'd first psychologically compelled Lloyd Boch, alias the first Moonstone, to give up the mysterious moonstone pendant that was the source of his powers. What better way, after all, to understand the supervillain mentality than to become a supervillain herself? Now, she'd come to understand the supervillain love of blatant, public crimes, outrageous displays of power, and committing crimes as much for the sick thrill of it as for the monetary gain.

Her observations of the various supervillains she'd helped escape from prison had also been incredibly enlightening, as she saw how many of the traditional supervillain traits had varied based on the individual villains' personalities. The madness riots Psyko had caused after she'd orchestrated his escape from Ravencroft had been especially worthwhile, since she'd been able to observe the worst fears of many of the supervillains, which they'd begun experiencing after Psyko had enslaved them. As an added bonus, Dr. Sofen had been tasked with treating many of them once they'd regained their sanity and were back in custody, which gave her a firsthand look at how they recovered from the trauma.

Just as fascinating, of course, was the psychological effects of supervillain crime on its victims. Her first attempt to measure how people reacted to this type of stress had been unfortunately thwarted by Spider-Woman, but she had every intent of picking up the experiment again. Dr. Sofen knew how she was going to do this, and all she needed was one final confirmation.

All of a sudden, she was alerted to the e-mail coming in through the Outsider, an off-the-grid communications network used by the worldwide criminal community that was almost impossible for law enforcement to trace. It was the Tinkerer, the notorious criminal technologist, alerting her to know that the special devices she'd commissioned him to make were all ready to be picked up. It might have been a risk to commission the Tinkerer to create these things, particularly given that he knew their true purposes, but like all of his other clients Moonstone knew the Tinkerer took great pride in his professional discretion.

Everything was ready, at long last.

All she needed was one final piece of the puzzle…

…and the final part of her research could begin.

The laughter was erupting up from within her once again.

She found, more and more, that she liked it.

* * *

Returning for the afternoon from his patrols and endless, fruitless searches for Moonstone, Sleepwalker took refuge in the basement of the house Rick and his friends were renting to wait for Rick's friends to return home. He had enough energy to last him for the next two or three days, so he wouldn't have to absorb any more energy through Rick's friends tonight, but as they were visiting Rick at the hospital Sleepwalker wanted to get an update on his human host's condition from them.

Alyssa Conover's dog Rambo was sleeping on the couch next to him, seemingly content to keep Sleepwalker company until his owner and the rest of her friends came back. Rambo's ears perking up was the first sign that Alyssa had come home, followed soon after by his barking and running upstairs to greet her. Sleepwalker heard Alyssa greeting Rambo and putting away her schoolbag, before coming downstairs to meet Sleepwalker. She looked much the same as she had for the last week and a half, pale from fatigue and stress as Rick remained in hospital.

_"What is Rick's condition?" _Sleepwalker asked her gently.

"…Stable…" Alyssa murmured, taking a deep breath. "Nothing's changed. What if…what if he…"

She was trying to keep up a brave front, but it was getting harder and harder for her.

_"You will doubtless recall the tribulations that Rick has endured ever since my entrapment within his mind," _Sleepwalker reminded her. _"His initial belief that you would not believe or accept his explanations, the trauma of the murders of his parents, his grieving Cyrus's death, all of which you have borne witness to. And yet, he successfully overcame them, due in no small part to the faith that he held in you and the rest of his human companions. Now, it is our faith in Rick's ability to recover that will allow him to do so. It was within his capacity to extricate me from certain doom on more than one occasion, and I have no doubt that he will extricate himself once more." _

"I know," Alyssa smiled sadly. "I keep telling myself that, but the heart doesn't always listen to the head, you know?"

_"It is something I am all too aware of," _Sleepwalker nodded. _"Many are the times whereupon Rick or another human has found the necessity to remind me of the truth about a particular situation. Might I inquire as to the whereabouts of our other companions?" _

"Julia's working late at the _Daily Bugle," _Alyssa explained, "but she says that things should cool down there a bit now that Giuliani's dropped out of the Republican nomination race," she smiled in spite of herself. "Red's planning a Super Bowl party with some of the guys he knows on the football team and Kenny's out shopping for art supplies. They should all be back later tonight."

_"And yourself?" _Sleepwalker asked.

"I'm doing alright, all things considered," Alyssa nodded. "I've got one of the lead roles in this tap production that some old friends of Gregory Hines are putting together as a tribute to him for the 20th anniversary of National Tap Dance Day. Hines was one of my heroes-he's one of the reasons I wanted to become a dancer in the first place," she explained, color returning to her face as she talked about her passion.

Sleepwalker only chuckled at that.

"What's so funny?" Alyssa asked him.

_"Humans are among the most curious and unfathomable creatures I have ever encountered, both among the indigenous creatures of the Mindscape and the creatures of this universe whose minds I have visited in the course of protecting them," _Sleepwalker smiled. _"I have only ever known humans to devote so much passion and energy to so many different diversions, interests and goals, often placing an emotional and material investment in them far out of proportion to what an entity of another race would consider to be its impartial value. I do not mean to imply that it is in any way a negative trait of humanity, but rather it is something that I have otherwise infrequently encountered." _

Alyssa blinked at that.

"…Seriously?" she asked. "You don't have things like art, sports or industry in the Mindscape?"

_"Such considerations are immaterial to us," _Sleepwalker shook his head. _"Anything that we require we typically craft with our warp vision, and each Sleepwalker will create what he needs. Otherwise, our time is devoted to combat training, consummating our romantic relationships and patrolling the Mindscape to defend the minds of the innocent." _

"And you never do anything else?" Alyssa asked, feeling a slight sense of horror. "You don't have any choice about what you want to do with your life? You don't have any kind of art, movies or music?"

_"The discomfort and astonishment you are feeling stems from the fact that you are considering the situation with the mindset of a human," _Sleepwalker pointed out to her. _"As I have been required to elucidate to Rick on more than one occasion, I am not a human and I do not possess entirely the same mentality as you would. While the nature of my race's existence is crippling and abhorrent from a human perspective, to a Sleepwalker there is no greater reason for existence than to defend those who are incapable of defending themselves. It is fulfilling, meaningful and gratifying all at once. Indeed, although my race may lack the same creative impulse as humanity, it does not preclude my admiring what humanity has wrought." _

"…Huh," Alyssa realized. She thought about that for several seconds, before realizing that she'd completely forgotten about worrying about Rick.

"Thanks, Sleepwalker," Alyssa hugged him briefly in appreciation.

Sleepwalker only returned her hug briefly in response.

* * *

Grumbling at the stubbornness of soap scum, Mary Jane finally stood up and briefly turned on the shower to rinse the last of the grime she'd spent the last hour cleaning out of the basin. She briefly caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she made her way out of the bathroom, and couldn't help but admire the way she still looked good even with her long hair tied up in a bun and dressed in an old T-shirt and a pair of paint-spattered coveralls. Returning to her bedroom, she changed into something more comfortable and prepared to get started on her studies. Last semester, she'd neglected her schoolwork due to her attempts to find work and fight crime as Spider-Woman, and she could easily have ended up on academic probation. Mary Jane had managed to salvage her grades by doing well enough on final exams once she'd moved back home and could concentrate on them, but her grade point average still wasn't particularly good and she knew she needed to get her grades up.

Unfortunately, that left her with less time for a social life, particularly with her crimefighting responsibilities as Spider-Woman. She hadn't gone out with Randy in almost two weeks, and she hadn't seen her other friends much either. Not that things were entirely cool between her and Randy, either, what with the underlying tension between them over what Mary Jane suspected was Randy's suspicions about her secret identity between them.

Glancing through the second act of _Lysistrata, _Mary Jane frowned as she wondered how much she should even continue to be Spider-Woman. It pained her to think of all the acting or modeling gigs she'd probably missed out on in between needing to spend more time on her studies and fighting crime as Spider-Woman. She remembered what Ben Parker and her Aunt Anna Watson had told her about pushing herself too hard-indeed, before moving back home Mary Jane had nearly had a nervous breakdown from putting too much pressure on herself and doing too many things at once. Being Spider-Woman wasn't exactly helping her romantic life, either-the main reason she hadn't told Randy her secret was because of her fear of how he'd react.

That said, Mary Jane also remembered all the good she'd been able to accomplish with her superpowers, helping people ranging from random bystanders to close friends like Kitty Pryde and even her family. Moonstone, especially, was still on the loose out there, and Mary Jane knew that it was her responsibility to stop the golden-hued villain. Not to mention the rest of her rapidly increasing rogues gallery-if past experience was any indication, sooner or later she would be running into Joystick and Netshape once again.

_May Parker apparently said that great responsibility was supposed to come with great power, _Mary Jane realized as she rechecked her notes. _So what happens when your responsibilities end up clashing with one another? I mean, I've got a responsibility to help people as Spider-Woman, but then Uncle Ben reminded me of my responsibilities to myself…_

Rubbing her forehead in frustration, Mary Jane tried to concentrate on her homework, but the thoughts continued to nag her at the back of her mind.

* * *

"What's the point of these devices?" Mr. Fear asked Moonstone suspiciously as he considered whether to put the thing on. It was a small, watch-like device that would easily fit around the wearer's wrist, easily adjustable to fit any given size, although the technology was far more advanced than anything a normal watch might carry.

"They're communication devices," Moonstone explained. "With them, we'll be able to coordinate our efforts better than Jack O' Lantern's Legion did."

"Where did you get them?" the Porcupine demanded, not entirely convinced of Moonstone's sincerity.

"The Tinkerer produced them for me," Moonstone said matter-of-factly, which seemed to put many of the villains at ease. The Tinkerer was known for his hatred of double-crosses and his impeccable record in respecting the confidence of his supervillain clients. He made sure that none of the people using his technology were able to enslave each other or override the rightful owners' control of their equipment. It was impossible for anyone using the Tinkerer's gear to doublecross someone else using another device produced by the Tinkerer.

Moonstone did well to hide her smile at that.

Her fellow villains were quite reasonably suspicious of being double-crossed or sold out, but Moonstone never had any intention of doing anything so foolish.

No, the devices Moonstone was outfitting her colleagues with were just that-communication devices.

Of course, verbal communication wasn't the only thing they broadcast.

* * *

Walking home after his last class, Kenny congratulated himself on the success of his charity calendar. Originally conceived as a new type of erotica that emphasized the beauty of the woman in the context of her surroundings, rather than simply focusing on her overt sexuality, Kenny had gotten twelve female friends of his to pose for a series of drawings that he'd eventually compiled into a charity calendar. The calendar, meant to help the victims of supervillain crime, was a huge seller, and had raised almost a hundred thousand dollars in New York sales alone. That was just the beginning, though-Kenny's parents had introduced him to the publisher who was producing the calendar, and the publisher had plans to expand sales throughout New England, and then nationally, possibly even into Canada and Mexico.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't see the flash of golden light until it was too late. Bumping headlong into the solid wall of light in front of him, Kenny stumbled back in alarm. Whirling around, he saw that he was now completely encased in a semi-transparent cube of golden light, one that he was unable to break out of. At first he wondered whether he was being attacked by Lightmaster, but then he heard the shrill laughter. Straining his eyes, he looked through the semi-transparent light of the cube and saw that it was connected to a trail of light that led to the beautiful, deadly Moonstone.

"Wh-what the hell do you want?" Kenny asked in alarm.

In response, Moonstone advanced towards him and threw something that somehow passed through the cube. It vaguely resembled a wristwatch, but instead of a clock face it held a bizarre technological device whose purpose Kenny couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"Put it on, or the cube's going to crush you," Moonstone ordered, as the cube suddenly began to shrink in size.

Kenny hastily slipped the device around his wrist, before Moonstone suddenly took to the air, pulling the cube behind her. He could only swallow hard, hoping to God that the cube's energy wouldn't give out.

It was a long way down…

* * *

It had all happened too quickly for Kitty Pryde to react, trapped as she was by Moonstone and forced to wear this bizarre device on her wrist. To her alarm, she found that she couldn't phase her way out of the bizarre energy cube Moonstone had trapped her in, and she was otherwise powerless to escape. The cube's walls had become completely opaque as Moonstone carried her for what seemed like hours, leaving Kitty completely disoriented and unsure of where she was going.

Finally, the cube regained some of its transparency, although when she saw where she was Kitty began to think she would have been better off not knowing.

It seemed like a large underground laboratory or bunker, filled with almost two dozen other golden cube-cages. Kitty heard screams, shouts and cries for help coming from the cubes, although she couldn't really tell who they were. In all likelihood, they were prisoners just like her, although she couldn't imagine what anyone would want with her. Trying once again to phase through the golden cube, she simply bounced off the wall and landed back on the floor, rubbing her shoulder painfully.

"Where the hell am I?" Kitty screamed, fear turning into anger. "Let me out of here!"

"You'll be freed soon enough, child," a calm, measured voice seemed to reply to her. Turning around, Kitty saw a short, scrawny man staring at her through the semi-transparent cube wall. His eyes glinted behind thick spectacles, and his thin face was marked with a short, well-trimmed goatee. A mocking smile was on his face as he looked at her, the way a biologist might stare at a choice specimen in a cage or a jar.

"Who are you?" Kitty shouted angrily.

"I…?" the man asked in amusement. "Well, I have a much more famous moniker, one by which most people know me, but for now you can call me Dr. Calvin Zabo."

"Why did you kidnap me?" Kitty demanded.

"Oh, I didn't kidnap you," Dr. Zabo adjusted his spectacles. "I'm more of a…temporary custodian, shall we say. I'm just looking after you for Moonstone, the one who actually abducted you in the first place."

"What do you want?" Kitty asked.

"Moonstone wants the same thing from you that she wants from everyone else she's kidnapped," Dr. Zabo explained. "One million dollars from your family."

Kitty reeled in horror, wondering if her family would even be able to come up with that kind of money.

"…And if they can't?" she asked, her voice fading.

"Well, there's reason I've been tasked with looking after you all," Dr. Zabo chuckled.

Kitty wasn't sure what terrified her more, the look in Dr. Zabo's eyes or the sneering, depraved laugh that came from his lips.

* * *

While the city was reeling with Moonstone's high profile kidnappings, she then sent the victims' families her ransom demands through the Outsider network, making them almost impossible to trace. Once that was done, she gave the signal for the Tomorrow Legion's members to begin their rampages.

Quicksand attacked a Brinks convoy on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Whirlwind ripped through the concert happening at Yankee Stadium, causing mass chaos and panic.

The Scorpion went on a bank robbing spree in Queens.

The Ice Princess began smashing buildings in Harlem with pillars and blocks of ice.

Cyclone began looting the Brooklyn Museum.

All of the attacks were carefully timed and coordinated, throwing New York City into chaos as the authorities scrambled to respond and people began to panic. Over it all hung Moonstone's kidnapping of twenty people who belonged to wealthy families, and the $1 million she was demanding in ransom for each of them.

* * *

Moonstone, Dr. Karla Sofen, there wasn't much difference now. She had become a psychiatrist to indulge her fascination with the criminal mind, and she had become a criminal to indulge her love of psychiatry. That wasn't her only interest, however-she was also curious to see how victims and victimizers alike reacted in a situation of mass chaos, how their psychoses interacted, one with the other. **That **was the truth behind it all, the reason she had gone to so much trouble and planning to revive the Tomorrow Legion and kidnap the people she had. It was all to create the beautiful, intricate thought experiment that Moonstone now saw playing out before her.

The bots on her computer were monitoring anything and everything that might be of interest on the Internet and otherwise in the media, showing her the public reactions to the chaos she had sown. The wrist devices she had forced her kidnap victims to wear recorded their speeches and monitored their biorhythms, measuring their physiological reactions to their stress. The wrist devices being worn by the Tomorrow Legion members also allowed Moonstone to monitor their speeches and physiological reactions as well, even as she tracked where they were and what they did once they'd accomplished their original missions.

It would continue, of course-Moonstone had every intent of analyzing the fallout from the Tomorrow Legion's actions, even as she continued to observe and record the actions and reactions of the supervillains who made up the Legion. She would continue to tailor and adjust her plans to the realities of the current situation, all while working on the inside as one of Ravencroft Asylum's most trusted psychiatrists. The developing thought patterns of the criminals who were re-imprisoned would make excellent supplementary material.

The experiment remained carefully planned, as Moonstone would control for new and unforeseen factors.

All the while, her lab rats would run through the mazes she set for them, her puppets would dance on their strings.

Puppets…?

Yes, puppets.

She knew how to make people do what she wanted, when she wanted. She could make them laugh, she could make them cry, she could build them up, she could tear them down.

Yes, it was a delightful feeling.

_Dance, puppets, dance! _Moonstone thought gleefully to herself, doing her best to restrain the laughter that was starting to rise up within her.

* * *

Returning to the house Rick and his friends were renting, Sleepwalker felt a thrill of horror as he saw the police car parked out front. He could see Red and Julia talking to the police, although he wasn't sure what was going on. At first he thought he should stay away, not wanting to give the police any suggestion that he was connected to Rick's friends, but he realized that if he simply approached as a concerned hero, the police would likely fill him in on what was going on. Even if Red or Julia accidentally let it slip that they knew him, he could probably explain it away as their being familiar with his exploits.

_"Might I inquire as to the reason for the necessity of the involvement of law enforcement?" _Sleepwalker asked, as he flew down to join the humans.

Red pursed his lips and Julia looked away, both of them no doubt trying to avoid looking like they recognized the alien warrior.

"These kids said their roommate was just kidnapped by that crazy Moonstone lady," one of the police officers sighed. "She's been kidnapping people all day, and she's holding them all for ransom. Unless their relatives pay a million dollars for them, she's going to kill them in cold blood."

"We just got a call from Kenny," Red frowned. "Alyssa's on the phone with his parents in Albany now. They're getting ready to wire the money over to us, and we'll deliver it."

_"I presume that you have been unsuccessful in discerning the location where Moonstone is detaining her prisoners?" _Sleepwalker asked. _"How does she possess the capacity to abduct so many people in such a short period of time?" _

"Crimes have been breaking out all over the city," another one of the officers shook his head in frustration. "Even with guys like you helping us, we're really spread thin. Moonstone's probably taking advantage of that."

A boiling rage welled up inside Sleepwalker, the same anger that had been festering at the back of his head ever since Rick had been crushed by the falling debris. This was the second time Moonstone had endangered someone close to him, and it was the **last **time Sleepwalker intended for anyone to suffer at Moonstone's hands. His hands clenched into fists and began trembling, and it was all Sleepwalker could do to keep from lashing out in his anger.

The alien's eyes were glowing with a bright red light, one that caused Red and Julia to look at one another nervously and even made the toughened police officers step back in alarm.

The alien wasn't entirely sure how Moonstone could travel around the city so quickly. Then again, maybe she wasn't-was it possible she was flying through the sewers and the underground road and subway tunnels? With all the chaos caused by the current crime sprees, there probably wouldn't be many people using any of the tunnels, much less keeping track of whoever had used them.

Finding Moonstone was another problem, though. The labyrinth of subway tunnels, underground roads, storm drains and sewers beneath New York was akin to a rat maze, and Sleepwalker had never been down there. The alien wouldn't have had the faintest idea where to start looking. It was possible that another hero, one like Moon Knight who was more of a detective, could better figure it out...

…but that was a risk Sleepwalker couldn't afford to take. Moon Knight might not be aware of it, or he might have his hands full, as would most of the rest of the city's heroes. And even if Moonstone got her ransom, how was he to know she wouldn't just murder her hostages anyway for the sick thrill of it?

_"Have you summoned the Avengers?" _Sleepwalker asked one of the police officers.

"You really think we wouldn't?" the officer shot back.

A part of Sleepwalker felt guilty about leaving the aboveground criminals to the other heroes and the police, but at the same time he knew it was all he could do to keep his emotions in check. He had to track Moonstone down, and he had to save her hostages-the last thing Rick and his friends deserved was to lose another loved one, particularly when Rick himself was fighting for his life in the hospital.

Whatever happened, Sleepwalker knew he had to try.

_And may this world's God help Moonstone when at last I confront her, _Sleepwalker vowed, as he flew into the air.

* * *

When Mary Jane's spider-senses had first begun tingling to alert her of what was going on, she wasn't sure what they were trying to alert her to. She had marked many of the people she knew, friends and enemies alike, with her special tracking pheromones, which allowed her to track them with her special "spider-senses". Oftentimes these pheromones only activated when Mary Jane wanted them to, but sometimes they activated on their own when whoever it was that she had marked them with was in a situation of interest to her.

Looking up the situation on the Internet, Mary Jane's blood ran cold at the superhuman crime spree she saw tearing through New York. At first, she wondered if any of her old enemies as Spider-Woman were responsible, but in glancing through the accounts of the crimes she soon realized what had triggered her spider-senses. Her old friend Kitty Pryde had been kidnapped by Moonstone, who was demanding $1 million for each for the people she'd abducted. As one of the victims, Kitty was no doubt the one who'd set off her spider-senses. While she was home alone, there was nothing to indicate that any of her family were in any danger…yet.

Changing into her Spider-Woman costume, Mary Jane began webswinging towards wherever it was that Kitty was being kept. Her spider-senses were locked onto the pheromones she had placed on Kitty, leading her to her old friend with unerring precision. However, as she descended toward the sewers where Kitty was being kept she felt a strange twinge in her spider-senses. Now, unnervingly enough, there were _two _signals calling out to her, one she recognized as Kitty's, and the other one of which seemed to be branching off from Kitty's signal and leaving it. Spider-Woman realized it was probably Moonstone's signal, and she was leaving Kitty and the other hostages alone, for some reason.

Did Moonstone leave them in some sort of deathtrap, or was she going to leave to get another hostage?

The last thing Spider-Woman wanted was for Moonstone to abduct yet another victim, but if Kitty and the others were in some sort of danger then she couldn't just leave them to die. Her mind raced desperately as she tried to figure out what to do, but Spider-Woman just couldn't seem to decide.

"_From your otherwise unwarranted presence here, I gather that you too endeavor to rescue Moonstone's victims?" _came a strange voice from behind her. Whirling around, Spider-Woman was stunned to see what looked like a tall, thin man dressed in a ragged purple and blue outfit, with an olive green-skinned mask. The creature's eyes glowed red, and were compounded like an insect's making them glitter strangely.

At first caught off guard, Spider-Woman soon recognized the new arrival as the mysterious Sleepwalker, one of New York's newer superheroes. He'd appeared only a few months before she had, although Sleepwalker had quickly become involved in many high-profile incidents, most notably the destructive battles he'd had with that nightmarish Psyko thing.

Sleepwalker, in turn, recognized Spider-Woman from her distinct red-and-gold costume. She too had been caught up in some memorable superhero battles, most notably an incident where sixty people were taken hostage by the psychopathic Jack O' Lantern at a Stark Enterprises building. Spider-Woman had saved the hostages and eventually defeated the pumpkin-headed maniac.

"Moonstone's become part of my rogues gallery," Spider-Woman frowned. "I followed her here because of the kidnappings that she's been committing. I take it you're here for the same reason?"

"_Precisely so," _Sleepwalker's eyes narrowed. _"And yet, is there such a necessity for the both of us to be pursuing Moonstone? Many other criminals are spreading misery and horror across the city as we speak. Perhaps it would be for the better if one of us were to-" _

"No, it wouldn't," Spider-Woman shook her head, before explaining to Sleepwalker about her powers and the two trails that were now emerging. "The last thing I want is for Moonstone to abduct somebody else, but if she's leaving those other hostages to die we have to save them!"

"_The solution is therefore elementary," _Sleepwalker realized. _"One of us is obligated to attend to Moonstone's victims, while the other engages the villainess herself to bring her to justice." _

"And that's going to be me," Spider-Woman said determinedly.

Sleepwalker's eyes flared, as he opened his mouth to protest.

"Listen, it's **my **responsibility she's done this. It's because **I **wasn't able to stop her before that she's been able to cause all this chaos. She's part of myrogues gallery, and I **need **to take her down," Spider-Woman explained, her voice as hard as iron, before she began breathing heavily to keep her emotions under control.

Sleepwalker was struck by the intensity of Spider-Woman's feelings, and how similar they were to his own. Whatever Spider-Woman's history with Moonstone, it clearly ran much deeper than his. While he had sworn to see Moonstone brought to justice, Sleepwalker knew his first duty was to see that Kenny and the other hostages would be rescued. If Spider-Woman fought Moonstone for him, his vow would be fulfilled all the same.

"_Very well," _Sleepwalker nodded. _"You have my word that I shall do everything within my power to alleviate Moonstone's prisoners. Your knowledge presumably extends to their location-if you provide me with the necessary directions, I shall attend to their needs." _

Spider-Woman closed her eyes and focused on her spider-senses, most notably the signal emanating from Kitty. The trail shone brightly in her mind's eye, as she tried to calculate exactly where it was.

"It's in that direction," she explained, pointing off to the right into the maze of sewer tunnels. "I don't know exactly how to get there, though-I could only figure that out once I got closer-"

"_It is of no consequence," _Sleepwalker assured her. _"Your abilities have been of the utmost assistance to me today, and now it is my responsibility to repay your contributions in kind!" _

His eyes flaring, Sleepwalker simply warped the sewer wall open with his warp vision, flying through and sealing it behind him as he dug a path straight to the location of Moonstone's hostages.

Nodding once, Spider-Woman turned and ran in the other direction down the tunnels, pushing Kitty's signal out of her mind as she tuned her spider-senses towards the other signal, coming from Moonstone.

Her heart was pounding and the blood was racing in her ears with the anticipation of the coming battle, and instinctively she knew that Sleepwalker was feeling the same thing.

* * *

As he carved a path through the New York sewers with his warp beams, taking care to reseal the tunnels behind him once he passed through them, Sleepwalker was struck by just how many seemingly forgotten tunnels and chambers lay beneath New York City's streets. They no doubt made splendid hiding places, lairs and laboratories for supervillains, criminals and terrorist groups, who could easily splice into the city's electrical and water grids to gather what they needed to live down here.

Sleepwalker's suspicions were confirmed as he emerged into what was clearly an abandoned subway station. Rows of golden cubes lay before him, through which he could vaguely make out human shapes. The prisoners' screams and cries rang out in Sleepwalker's ears as the prisoners called for help, begging the new arrival to free them from their cages.

Sleepwalker still felt the rage burning within him, but now he also felt disgust and revulsion at what Moonstone had done to these people. From what he'd come to observe of humanity since becoming trapped in Rick's mind, humans often did certain things as much for the emotional fulfillment they got as much as any purely rational gains. It was no different with Moonstone or any other supervillain-while they could have made money by using their talents legitimately, they used their powers for criminal gain because they enjoyed the thrills, the notoriety or even just the opportunity to indulge their sadism.

That realization made Sleepwalker pause. Moonstone had clearly gone to a lot of effort to kidnap these people, so why was she now leaving them unguarded? Surely she would have anticipated someone like him finding her lair and trying to free the prisoners?

"And here I was anticipating Moon Knight," a mocking voice suddenly caught Sleepwalker's attention, as he heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the station. "I would have thought he'd be the only one smart enough to figure out where this little hiding-place is, but then again not many people know very much about you, do they?"

Looking around for the speaker, Sleepwalker saw a puny, bespectacled man emerge from behind one of the golden cubes. He was little more than skin and bones, barely five and a half feet tall, with a neat, well-trimmed goatee. His attire was surprisingly refined, a dapper suit with a flowing Inverness overcoat. Sleepwalker wasn't sure what to make of him, but he knew full well that the man was probably more dangerous than he seemed, particularly if Moonstone had left him to guard the prisoners.

_"Who are you?" _Sleepwalker demanded, his eyes glowing as he glanced around, expecting the little man to activate some sort of trap to attack him.

"You'll find out soon enough, although for now you can call me Dr. Calvin Zabo," the little man bowed mockingly. "I suppose I could have joined in with the ruckus up there," he said, pointing upwards to street level, "but Moonstone needed someone to guard her prisoners. Besides, one supervillain more or less wouldn't have made a whole lot of difference?"

_"The supervillain activities are but a distraction from Moonstone's kidnapping initiatives?" _Sleepwalker asked in horror. _"It is an aspect of a larger conspiracy that she has orchestrated?" _

"How perceptive," Dr. Zabo smirked. "I can see now how you managed to survive a battle with the Incredible Hulk."

_"Your mentioning of my battle with the Hulk is as incomprehensible as it is immaterial," _Sleepwalker scowled. _"I presume you seek to oppose my liberating Moonstone's prisoners? You may be assured that your efforts, whatever they may be, will come to nothing!" _

"Will they, now?" Dr. Zabo smiled evilly, as he removed his spectacles. "And I brought up your battle with the Hulk for very good reason, given that I wanted to give you an idea of what you're now facing!" As he spoke, Dr. Zabo began to grow in size, his clothes growing with him as his limbs grew in length and became powerfully muscled, and his torso dramatically expanded. Zabo's very face seemed to twist and distort, his face taking on a demonic-looking sneer as his features became those of a different man altogether. Calvin Zabo still wore the attire of a fine gentleman, but the puny doctor had been replaced by a powerfully built giant of a man who stood almost ten feet tall. His huge muscles rippled with a terrifying strength, and his eyes glowed with a hellish light that could have belonged to the Devil himself.

"Now do you understand why I brought up the Hulk?" Mr. Hyde leered at Sleepwalker. "I know him quite well, actually-I'm actually more of a Hulk than he is. All his intelligence, his anger and his cruelty, without any of that pathetic compassion that so often seems to hold him back. Every bit as strong, every bit as vicious, every bit as powerful. And…the more my bloodlust increases…the stronger I get…Want me to show you?"

"WANT ME TO SHOW YOU?" Mr. Hyde shrieked as he lunged at Sleepwalker with frightening speed. Rolling out of the way, Sleepwalker barely managed to avoid the thundering punch Hyde threw at him, which left a web of broken cracks deep within the concrete. Calvin Zabo had become a completely different person, going from a puny scientist into a demonic, well-dressed killing machine that destroyed anything in its path.

Using his warp vision, Sleepwalker shaped the concrete floor into a battering ram that he slammed into Hyde's chest, but the man-monster simply shrugged off the blow and caught Sleepwalker dead on with a punch that sent the alien flying across the room to crash heavily into the wall. Gasping for breath, Sleepwalker was forced to dodge again as Mr. Hyde leapt after him, crossing the length of the room in a single bound before driving his feet squarely into where Sleepwalker had been lying. Hyde's eager screams blended with the terrified shrieks and cries of the prisoners, who could only watch helplessly through the golden cubes that were their prisons.

Sleepwalker tried to fathom Hyde's strength as he figured out what to do next. He hadn't been hit that hard since his battle with the Hulk, a battle that would have killed him if he hadn't been pulled into the Hulk's mind at the last minute. Hyde seemed every bit as strong as the Hulk, and if anything his strength seemed to be increasing with his bloodlust. Ducking another one of Hyde's punches as he pulled away from the wall, Sleepwalker turned his warp beams on the half-finished metal railings lining the subway platform, reshaping them into deadly barbed spears and rings that he used to tear into Hyde and force him back.

Suddenly ripped and bleeding, Hyde let up his assault for a moment, before a new surge of strength poured through his body and he tore himself free once more. Amazingly, his bloody wounds were already healing, and he caught Sleepwalker with another glancing blow. Although the alien warrior managed to dodge the worst of it, the sheer force of the punch left him reeling and nearly seeing double as Mr. Hyde charged at him again.

Focusing his warp beams, Sleepwalker made the ground between them jagged and rough, tripping up Mr. Hyde and sending him stumbling forward. As Hyde lost his balance, Sleepwalker grappled him and tossed him into the air towards the far wall, where a maze of half-finished metal pipes were embedded on the wall. Reshaping them into a bed of sharp, pointed spikes with his warp vision, Sleepwalker made them impale the shouting Mr. Hyde before twisting them around and driving them back into his body once again. Blood poured from the spikes as Mr. Hyde became increasingly entangled into the metal spikes, which now went straight through his body in more than a dozen places.

Unbelievably, Hyde managed to tear himself free, although he was now covered in his own blood and his clothes were shredded rags. Screaming like a man possessed, Hyde pulled the spikes out of his body and tossed them aside even as his injuries began to heal yet again. Leaping onto one of the golden cubes and then into the air, Mr. Hyde caught Sleepwalker and brutally drove him into the ground at the far end of the subway station, holding him down with one hand while punching him with the other. Pain exploded through Sleepwalker's body as he felt his bones snapping, even as Mr. Hyde's screams ringed in his ears.

That wasn't the only sound Sleepwalker heard, however.

He also heard the terrified cries of Moonstone's prisoners, particularly those of Kenny. Sleepwalker recalled how Kenny and the others had all been abducted by the same villain whose previous actions had left Rick fighting for his life in the hospital. Rage filled Sleepwalker's heart as his eyes glowed with his warp vision once again.

Sleepwalker shifted the ground underneath Hyde's feet, causing him to stumble and lose his grip as Sleepwalker broke free. Screaming in rage, Mr. Hyde leapt after him once again, but this time Sleepwalker was ready. His warp beams refocused on the bent metal railings and pipes that he'd previously used to impale Hyde, and he combined and reshaped them all into a large, spiked bear trap-like vise, one that snapped directly onto Hyde and held him fast.

The trap would have cut any ordinary human in two, and even Mr. Hyde was paralyzed with sheer agony. Flexing his muscles, he managed to break free of the trap, although he was now covered in open, jagged wounds and more blood than ever flowed freely from his injuries. Despite it all, his wounds continued to heal, albeit more slowly than before as the shock caused Mr. Hyde's bloodlust to abate.

It was all Sleepwalker could do to avoid fainting from his own pain, but he stubbornly kept up the pressure. Once again, he used his warp vision on the large metal trap, this time reshaping it into a large, oversized axe head, which he then swung directly at Mr. Hyde's head and chest.

This latest wound was the worst one of all, leaving a large, hideous wound down the front of Hyde's body. Reeling from the blow, Hyde struggled to his knees, gasping for breath even as he continued to bleed. Despite it all, his wounds continued to heal, although this time Sleepwalker could see that his bloodlust and his strength were both rapidly fading. That was the key, he realized-the shock and surprise at being caught in what was an oversized bear trap had weakened Hyde's emotional state, and the blow from the axe head left him completely stunned. Amazingly enough, Mr. Hyde was still alive, and his wounds continued to slowly heal, although he had now lost consciousness and wouldn't be hurting anyone else for a long time. The sheer amount of force Sleepwalker had used against Mr. Hyde was well beyond what he normally would have used, but with a healing factor as powerful as the Hulk's, the alien realized that he could do it without killing Hyde.

Sleepwalker's rage began to abate over the next few minutes, as he systematically shattered all of Moonstone's energy cubes with his warp vision and freed her hostages. Even though they were still trapped beneath the city streets, that hardly mattered as Sleepwalker next used his warp beams to dig a tunnel through the ceiling back to street level and formed a staircase for the staircase that the humans could use to climb to escape.

Wearied from his exertions, his entire body wracked with pain, Sleepwalker remained to guard the hostages from any further chaos that came, even as they called for help on their phones. They were indeed lucky not to be threatened by any of the members of the Tomorrow Legion still running amuck through the city, although by that time the Avengers had arrived and were helping the police and New York's local heroes fight back against the menace.

Now totally exhausted, Sleepwalker needed the support of the humans he had saved to even just be able to stand. Kenny was one of the humans supporting him, and as Sleepwalker glanced wearily at his human friend, Kenny smiled and winked.

The rage in Sleepwalker's heart was gone, replaced with a tremendous sense of peace.

* * *

Moonstone's lair was well-hidden, an underground maintenance station that was abandoned when the New York public works department had sealed off this portion of the sewers. While it wasn't all that comfortable, it suited her temporary needs quite well. From here, she would be able to monitor everything that went on with the Tomorrow Legion's activities, the information she was gathering from the supervillains and their victims and the money that she would be set to receive from the ransoms, all while minimizing the risk of any of it being traced back to her identity of Karla Sofen.

However, if all was well with the lair, it most certainly was not with the woman inside it. At first relishing the data that was being fed to her computers, she had been horrified to see the sudden emotional spike of hope and surprise that registered from her hostages. As she switched to view the monitors at the underground subway station, she saw the mysterious hero commonly known as Sleepwalker in a life-and-death battle with Mr. Hyde. That Sleepwalker appeared to be losing and the prisoners' hope rapidly turned back into fear and terror didn't matter-what mattered to Moonstone was that the prison had been breached.

_How was anyone able to find it? _Moonstone wondered in amazement as she watched Sleepwalker and Hyde battle. _Even Moon Knight doesn't look like he figured it out, given his focus on Quicksand, Firefist and Blackwing up above, _she realized. _But if someone was able to track the prisoners' lair so easily, then that means…_

Whirling around, Moonstone cast a barrier of solid light to deflect the energy blasts Spider-Woman shot at her. That didn't stop Spider-Woman from firing her sting blasts once again, shattering the energy barrier as Moonstone hastily backed away to defend herself. Spider-Woman was forced to dodge Moonstone's energy blasts, giving Moonstone the opportunity to try and encase Spider-Woman in a cube of golden light, which she then began narrowing in an attempt to crush her arachnid foe.

Shouting in anger, Spider-Woman simply blasted the cube into nothing and charged at Moonstone, leaping over her next energy blasts and drop-kicking Moonstone squarely in the chest. The golden-clad woman flew back and crashed into one of the computer monitors, shattering it, as Spider-Woman struck her with another combination of sting blasts. Moonstone rolled out of the way, but Spider-Woman followed her with another blast, one that shattered the next computer and shorted out her data feed.

Screaming in anger at seeing her precious data flow interrupted, Moonstone charged directly at Spider-Woman, surrounding herself with an aura of golden energy as she streaked through the air like a comet. Flying out of the maintenance station, Moonstone whirled around and fired a concentrated blast of energy into the room, intending to crush Spider-Woman before she could escape. Almost everything in the room was blown to pieces as the ceiling caved in, but Spider-Woman managed to escape the room before it collapsed and fired a double blast of webbing at Moonstone.

The golden-clad villain phased right through it and blasted Spider-Woman dead on with her energy bolts, taking advantage of the fact that her web-slinging foe didn't have much room to dodge in the cramped tunnels. Spider-Woman was brutally slammed into the wall and slumped to the ground, but she was up in a matter of moments, deflecting Moonstone's next blasts with her stings and then whipping debris at Moonstone with her webbing.

Spider-Woman's heart was pounding as she pressed the assault, forcing Moonstone back. Images of all the suffering and horror Moonstone had perpetrated flashed through her mind, increasing her determination to bring Moonstone to justice. She was reminded all too clearly of her past failures, which only made Spider-Woman more determined to succeed this time. This time, Spider-Woman knew she had the advantage, as she shot a web net at Moonstone and blasted her when she phased through it. Moonstone was caught completely off guard, and she was still struggling to keep up with the web-slinging heroine.

Moonstone realized it too, and knew that she needed to take the battle to a location of her choosing. Knowing that she couldn't stay phased long enough to get to street level, she surrounded herself with her golden energy field and plowed straight through the ceiling and up to street level, leaving a trail of jagged rubble to fall down on Spider-Woman as she did so. As Spider-Woman tried to follow, slowed down by the need to protect herself from falling pieces of concrete jarred loose by Moonstone's ascension, she was blasted again by Moonstone's energy bolts and had to hold onto the side of the tunnel for dear life with her spider-grip to avoid falling back into the sewers.

Her entire body was wracked with pain from the blast, and she was bleeding in several places from where the concrete debris had cut her, but Spider-Woman was ready for another round with Moonstone. Using one hand to spring into the air with a webline, Spider-Woman used the other to deflect the energy blasts Moonstone was shooting at her. Unfortunately, Moonstone was correct when she realized that she should move the battlefield to one of her choosing, as she cut through Spider-Woman's webline with a blast from one hand and blew her off balance with a bolt from the other. Stunned, Spider-Woman fell back and crashed into the wall of a building, and only managed to save herself with another webline before clinging to the side of the building.

Now Moonstone was the one to follow up her advantage, blasting energy bolts at Spider-Woman and cutting through any weblines she tried to spin to get away. Spider-Woman could only dodge awkwardly up and down or to the sides, trapped as she was by her need to cling to the building. Finally, she was blasted through a window and into the building itself, slumping to the floor. Moonstone came charging in immediately after, protecting herself with her golden force field and slamming Spider-Woman dead on, smashing her through the far wall before angling towards the street far below, intending to crush Spider-Woman once and for all.

Struggling not to black out from the pain, Spider-Woman knew she only had a few seconds before she would be killed. With one hand, she blasted Moonstone at point-blank range, disrupting her force field and causing Moonstone to stop her flight, as she spun around in confusion. With her other hand, Spider-Woman spun a webline and swung free of Moonstone's grip, before coming around and catching her head on with a vicious double swing kick. As Moonstone reeled from the blow, Spider-Woman hit her with another sting blast, stunning her briefly. Her entire body tingling uncomfortably from the blast, Moonstone was powerless as Spider-Woman caught her with a webline and brutally swung her across the street and into another building. Anchoring herself on the side of yet another building with her feet, Spider-Woman used one hand to hold the struggling Moonstone in place while using the other hand to continually blast her, until she finally fell limp.

The adrenaline faded from Spider-Woman's body as she reeled the unconscious Moonstone in, wrapped her in a net of webbing, and began the long, slow trip back to street level. Drained and exhausted from the battle, Spider-Woman felt her injuries all the more painfully as she knelt down and removed Moonstone's helmet to finally see who she really was.

At first, Spider-Woman was struck by how young the blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman seemed to be. She didn't even seem to be thirty years old, and Spider-Woman was confused as to how she could have possibly caused as much chaos as she did. The policemen coming up to arrest Moonstone and the passersby who had been watching the fight didn't seem to recognize her either, although they murmured and whispered to one another, as surprised as Spider-Woman was about Moonstone's youth.

"Do you recognize her?" one of the police officers asked Spider-Woman, who only shook her head wearily.

"How many of the other criminals are still on the loose out there?" she asked the policeman. She wasn't sure if she still had it in her to fight any more criminals, but she had to know.

"Not anymore," the officer shook his head. "The Avengers helped us catch some of them, although a lot of the others got away. It was like the Tomorrow Legion all over again."

That realization hit Spider-Woman like a ton of bricks, as she recalled the depraved criminal association originally formed by Jack O' Lantern.

"Dear God," she sighed, rubbing her face wearily. After she'd defeated Jack O' Lantern, she'd read about how so many of the other villains active that night had bragged about being part of a larger crime ring that called itself the Tomorrow Legion. Staring down at Moonstone, and recalling the monitoring equipment she'd had set up in the underground maintenance station, Spider-Woman wondered if Moonstone had revived the Legion as part of her kidnapping plot.

"Do you know what happened to her prisoners?" she asked the policeman, hoping against hope that Kitty was alright.

"That Sleepwalker guy rescued them," the policeman smiled in relief. "It looks like they're going to be alright. Thank God _something _turned out alright today," he sighed as he turned away.

Spider-Woman felt a sympathetic ache as she leapt into the air and swung away, intending to return home and change clothes before seeing how Kitty was doing, and whether any of her other friends or family had been hurt by the Tomorrow Legion's rampages. She could only imagine how many other people had lost their livelihoods, their homes or their loved ones because of the Legion's crimes today. As painful as the experiences people like Rick Sheridan and Kitty Pryde had gone through were, many other people oftentimes experienced problems that were just as bad, if not worse.

* * *

Dr. Jon Carmichael had always prided himself on his ability to juggle the needs of many different patients at once. While most of the other physicians were tied up dealing with the current influx of people needing treatment from the Tomorrow Legion's crime spree, he'd made sure to get himself assigned to look after the longer-term patients. At the moment, he was looking in on one Rick Sheridan, who'd been in a coma since he'd been crushed under falling debris during a violent incident at Empire State University over a week and a half ago. Since that time, Rick hadn't moved, and although his vital signs were steady he didn't seem to be making much progress.

It was while he was rising to leave and move on to his next patient that Dr. Carmichael heard the machines begin beeping loudly. Turning around in surprise, Dr. Carmichael grinned widely as he saw Rick's eyes open, as the young man slowly emerged from his coma.

"Wh…where am…I?" Rick slurred, blinking his eyes as he tried to figure out where he was.

"In the hospital, son," Dr. Carmichael said as he sat down in the chair next to Rick's bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"…Tired…" Rick mumbled, smiling back at the doctor. "Do my…friends…"

"Yeah, they know you're here," Dr. Carmichael assured him. "And I'm sure they'll be glad to know you're okay."

"Am I going to be alright?" Rick asked, smiling weakly.

"Yeah, you are," Dr. Carmichael said, nodding in satisfaction as he noticed Rick's vital signs improving. "Just take it easy for now. You still need your rest."

"Thank you…" Rick mumbled, before he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Although Rick was unconscious once again, Dr. Carmichael got up and continued on his rounds, secure in the knowledge that Rick would wake up in good time.

* * *

Now back in Rick's mind, Sleepwalker felt the same way. All around him, Rick's mind was regaining its strength, as the familiar thoughts and images began to filter past him. Off in the distance, the vague outlines of dreams were forming, in short all of the things that were part of the normal workings of Rick's mind. Rick's connection to the Mindscape was opening, as mental energy began flooding into his mind. Gratefully, the bloodied and exhausted Sleepwalker flew up underneath it and began absorbing some desperately needed energy for himself.

As he felt his wounds heal, Sleepwalker reflected on everything that had happened. He thought of the grateful look on the faces of Kenny and the other hostages, the realization that no more of his loved ones would be lost today, and the tragic realization that while he and the people he cared about had largely avoided any major catastrophe, there were many others out there who were not so lucky.

Sleepwalker also found himself thinking about the spectacular Spider-Woman, and the determination she showed despite her comparatively tender years. From what Sleepwalker could tell, she was even younger than Rick and his friends, although she displayed a fighting spirit much like those Sleepwalker had seen in Moon Knight, Spider-Man and the other male heroes he had fought alongside.

_Although our cooperation was limited in nature, we rendered each other a tremendous service this day, _Sleepwalker realized. _Without her assistance, Moonstone would remain at large, and without my contributions Mr. Hyde would have no doubt murdered the people she kidnapped when he realized that Moonstone had been captured, _he knew, having heard of Moonstone's capture from the police who'd come to take care of the hostages before he'd been pulled back into Rick's mind.

_I cannot help but wonder, therefore, if our paths shall cross at some indeterminate moment in the future,_ he realized.

That was a question for another day, however. For now, Sleepwalker was able to rest, secure in the knowledge that Rick was going to recover and that Kenny was unharmed.

* * *

It had almost become routine for Mary Jane by this point, cleaning herself up and then bandaging her injuries before making up some excuse about how she'd become caught in some sort of supervillain attack. Despite the sheer number of times she'd said that, chaos like that caused by the Tomorrow Legion made it a perfectly plausible explanation.

To her immense relief, Mary Jane had found that none of her family or friends had been hurt. There had been some close calls with her Aunt Anna Watson and her friends Harry Osborn and Liz Allan, but fortunately they'd escaped unharmed thanks to the interventions of Moon Knight and Hank Pym, respectively. Kitty was the one Mary Jane was really worried about. Luckily, although Kitty was shaken up Mary Jane was overjoyed to discover that Sleepwalker had been as good as his word in rescuing her and the rest of the hostages, despite having to fight for his life against the maniacal Mr. Hyde. As an added bonus, Kenny and Julia also told her about Rick emerging from his coma, even as his health was starting to improve.

Mary Jane was all too aware of the horrors that the latest incarnation of the Tomorrow Legion had left in its wake, which were just as saddening to her as they'd always been. However, she was able to take comfort in the fact that her friends and family were safe, and that Moonstone, alias Dr. Karla Sofen, would finally face justice for her crimes.

It disturbed Mary Jane to read in the _Daily Bugle _about just how extensive Dr. Sofen's crimes truly were, and her role in founding the new Tomorrow Legion, although it served as a useful reminder of her battles with Jack O' Lantern and her role in undermining the first version of the Legion. At the time, she'd come to realize just what other people were capable of as supervillains…

…and just how much she was capable of as a superhero.

Being Spider-Woman caused her no end of headaches, and she wasn't sure how much time she could devote to being Spider-Woman with all her other responsibilities, but when Mary Jane realized just how much good she'd done for loved ones and strangers alike, she was reminded of why she continued to do it. It was the same thing for Peter Parker, who fought crime as Spider-Man to honor his Aunt May's memory and to protect people who couldn't protect themselves.

That made Mary Jane's thoughts turn to the mysterious Sleepwalker.

She couldn't fathom why he fought crime, although from what she'd heard about his battles with the nightmarish Psyko it was clearly very important to him. What she did know was that he'd been a brave and valued ally today, and without his help either Moonstone would still be at large or Kitty and the other hostages would be dead.

For a moment, she wondered if they would be fighting together again in the future, but she realized that was a question for another day.

Mary Jane was physically and mentally exhausted when she fell asleep that night, but she was also at peace, a peace that provided her comfort for all the turmoil going on in her life.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Although Rick has awoken from his coma, he finds that he still has a very long road ahead of him as he recovers from his physical injuries and how it will affect his future career. Meanwhile, Sleepwalker struggles with his uncertain role as a superhero, thinking both of his battle with Mr. Hyde and his previous chat with Red. That may be the least of their problems, however, as the _Daily Bugle _becomes the victim of a criminal conspiracy led by the anti-mutant Senator Robert Kelly, who seeks revenge for the _Bugle's _campaigns against him. All this and more in _Sleepwalker #64: All The Senator's Men!_)

(_**Next Issue:**_ Although Mary Jane has finally brought Moonstone to justice, she is still confronted with the question of how to deal with her boyfriend Randy, particularly when he finally asks her if she's truly Spider-Woman. On top of that, Mary Jane still has to deal with the hate campaign organized against Spider-Woman by Vincent Gonzalez. Even as all this is going on, Tanya Sealy begins her training as a new inductee of the Serpent Society! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #41: Lying Truth!_)


	47. Lying Truth

The early February morning was decidedly chilly, but it brought a bright glow to Mary Jane Watson's cheeks as she stood waiting for her boyfriend Randy Robertson. It had been over two and a half weeks since they'd last gone out together, and the pall over their relationship had only gotten worse in that time. They'd gone days at a time without speaking to one another, and Mary Jane worried that they were drifting apart. She suspected that it had to do with his suspecting her dual identity as the heroic Spider-Woman, and that she'd lied to him about why she'd run away when the Brothers Grimm had gone on a rampage on New Year's Eve. Mary Jane had hesitated about telling Randy, given his professed dislike of costumed heroes, and how she thought he'd react. Now, though, she realized she'd probably made a serious mistake in not telling Randy before now.

So it was that when Randy called her yesterday and asked her to meet him outside the Student's Union Building at Empire State University, she'd eagerly agreed. It was just before the appointed time, and she was looking around anxiously for him to arrive. When he finally rounded the corner, Mary Jane ran up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, catching him off guard.

"Hi, sweetie!" she said brightly, eager to see him again.

Randy stumbled back for a moment before he regained his balance, surprised by Mary Jane's warm welcome. He managed to extricate himself from her hug, and took her hands in his, nodding briefly at her. He gave her a small smile in return, although it wasn't nearly as large as the wide, hopeful grin she was giving him.

"What did you have planned?" Mary Jane asked as they started walking.

Randy opened his mouth as if to say something, before sighing and shaking his head.

"…Is something wrong?" Mary Jane asked in surprise.

"No…it's…alright," Randy shook his head. "I just need to…" he trailed off, before closing his eyes as if to must up his courage. He glanced around to determine just how many people were nearby, and nodded in satisfaction as he realized that the only other students in the area were far enough away that they couldn't hear the conversation.

"There's something I need to ask you, Mary Jane," he finally said, forcing himself to say it.

"…What is it?" Mary Jane asked him. Now it was her turn to muster up her courage, waiting for him to answer the question he knew was coming.

"Are you Spider-Woman?" he finally asked her.

For too long, Mary Jane and Randy been dancing around the question, but now it was out in the open. They'd both correctly suspected that the other one was thinking about, and now they were going to have to deal with it.

Taking a deep breath, Mary Jane gave her answer. She been grossly unfair to Randy in hiding the truth from him, and now she intended to make up for it.

"Yes I am," Mary Jane nodded calmly. "I'm Spider-Woman, and I have been for over a year now."

They walked in silence for several minutes, as they let the implications of what they'd just said, and everything they'd previously said and thought that was related to it, sink in.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #41

"LYING TRUTH"

* * *

"So you lied to me about where you had to go on New Year's Eve," Randy finally pointed out.

"I suppose I did," Mary Jane replied. "But you told me about how much you hated superheroes. I wasn't sure how you'd react if I told you the truth."

"It's not so much that I don't hate them," Randy explained, "so much as I don't trust them. There's no way we can keep superheroes accountable if they screw up. How do we know they won't go bad at some point?"

"The fact that superheroes stick their necks on the line and are always protecting people for no profit ought to be a good sign," Mary Jane noted. "Costumed heroes could probably make a lot more money as supervillains-even police and other emergency workers get pay and benefit packages for risking their lives. Considering the abuse heroes sometimes get from the very people whose lives they saved, it's probably a miracle that none of them **have **become criminals yet," she concluded.

They kept walking all the while, Randy's arm wrapped around Mary Jane's shoulders as she leaned against him.

"So why do they do it, then?" Randy asked curiously. "Why do **you **do it?"

There wasn't any anger in his voice, just a genuine curiosity.

"It's…complicated," Mary Jane sighed, not entirely sure where to begin. "When I was growing up, my father abused my mother and I and was always cheating on Mom with younger women. Eventually, he threw us out of the house and forced us to move in with my Aunt Anna. I felt so angry…helpless…and guilty."

"Guilty?" blinked Randy.

"I couldn't do anything to stop Dad from hurting Mom," Mary Jane frowned and shook her head. "When I tried to stop him, he'd just turn his beatings on me," she shook her head. "But he was an expert at putting on a mask in public-he always made sure we looked like a happy family whenever we went out, and even paid my way in university to keep up appearances. Mom and I saw what he was really like, though."

Randy only frowned at that.

"So-" he began.

"A little over a year ago, just after I turned nineteen, I started to develop my spider powers. I thought I was a mutant, and then I realized what my Dad would probably have said. He was a bigot on top of being abusive-he hated mutants, blacks, Muslims, pretty much anybody that wasn't a white male. That just made me even angrier, and then I remembered how much he hated superheroes, too. That's what gave me the idea to become Spider-Woman. I did it mostly to spite my father."

Randy's eyes widened at that.

"I took my anger out on the villains I fought, and I nearly hurt a lot of innocent people in the process. I pushed away the people around me. When they called me out on it, I realized what an idiot I'd been," Mary Jane continued.

"So why did you still do it?" Randy wondered.

"I felt so powerless whenever Dad would beat on Mom or me," Mary Jane explained. "I just wished there was something I could do. Now, with my spider powers, I can actually do something. Whenever I see supervillains or other criminals picking on people who can't defend themselves, I just can't help myself. I have to try and stop them. How many more people could end up being hurt or killed if I wasn't there to protect them? I'd never be able to forgive myself if I didn't at least try to help them."

Randy was shaken by the intensity of Mary Jane's voice.

"But what does it do to your grades?" Randy asked her. "And what about your loved ones? What happens if you get killed by some costumed nutcase? How would your mother or your aunt react to that?"

"I think about that all the time," Mary Jane nodded. "That's one reason I never told my aunt or anyone else about my being a superhero-I didn't want them always worrying about it. My Mom only found out about it by accident, like you did. And being Spider-Woman has caused me all kinds of grief. But being Spider-Woman has enabled me to help a lot of people I care about. Mom…Aunt Anna…Kristy…Kong…Kitty…Harry and Liz…what would have happened to them if I hadn't been there?"

Randy thought on that for a while as they continued walking.

"...And that's why you can't stop, isn't it?" he sighed.

"…No," Mary Jane shook her head. "It's…it's a part of who I am, Randy. Every time I think about stopping, I remember the people who've helped and I realize I have to do this."

Randy frowned, but he wasn't about to give up just yet.

"But Kitty doesn't do any of that stuff," he persisted. "She refused to join the X-Men, remember? And you mentioned all the problems being Spider-Woman causes you. What does this do to your grades, or your career?"

Mary Jane looked down at the ground, and Randy knew he'd hit on something she'd been thinking about for a long time.

"Someone else reminded me about my responsibilities to myself," Mary Jane nodded, "and that's something I need to think about. Maybe I don't need to spend as much time being a superhero as I used to, but I can't stop it altogether."

"What about Kitty?" Randy pressed.

"That was Kitty's decision to make," Mary Jane explained. "She didn't think her phasing powers would be of much use in crimefighting anyway. If she's comfortable with not using her powers, then that's her business."

Randy closed his eyes and shook his head, as he tried to figure out what to say next.

"But what about your enemies?" Randy tried again. "I mean, there's that Jack O' Lantern freak, Polestar, Tarot and God knows who else! What if one of them finally kills you? What if they find out who you really are?"

"If they hadn't become part of my rogues gallery, they would have become part of someone else's," Mary Jane pointed out. "And Jack O' Lantern does know who I am. I don't know how he found out, but he somehow discovered my secret identity."

Randy recoiled in horror at that, breaking away from Mary Jane and staring at her in disbelief.

"He **knows **who you are?" Randy asked incredulously. "How could you let that happen? What if that sick freak-"

"You think I **haven't** thought about that?" Mary Jane replied, her voice starting to crack. "You think I don't know that Jack O' Lantern could ruin my life just by revealing my secret identity, or by going after my loved ones? But what can I do about it if he tries, except stop him as Spider-Woman?"

"And I suppose you never thought about all the other people you were putting in danger by letting that psychopath find out about who you really were, did you?" Randy accused her, his voice rising in anger. "Now **they're **going to have to spend all their time looking over their shoulders!"

"I don't know how he found out my identity!" Mary Jane replied, tears forming in her eyes. "If I knew what I did to let him find out, I would have never let it happen! Besides, don't you think Kitty and Ben are already in danger from him? How do you know Jack won't go after them just to spite his family?"

Randy wanted to yell at Mary Jane, to chew her out for putting herself and her loved ones in danger, for being so thoughtless and careless. Looking at her, though, he saw the guilt and the pain etched all too clearly on her face, and realized she was probably already telling herself those things. She was doing her best to hold back her tears, although she clearly didn't know what else to say or do.

It was then that Randy wondered what he would have said or done if **he **had been the one to develop spider-powers. Would **he** have been able to just stand by while costumed freaks like Jack O' Lantern or Netshape hurt people who couldn't fight back? How would he have been able to look himself in the mirror if he didn't do something?

Coming forward, he embraced Mary Jane, who leaned into him, returning his hug tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Randy," Mary Jane said softly.

"It's okay," he assured her, stroking her hair.

They stood there for several minutes, before separating. Mary Jane looked at him with a grateful smile, her eyes sparkling brightly.

"Thank you so much," she said, hugging him again. "This means a lot to me."

"I'm sure it does," Randy assured her. "Like you said, it's a part of who you are. And as long as you need me, I'll be there for you."

They resumed their walk, but now with a burden lifted off their shoulders.

* * *

"Watch the block!" Davis Lawfers reminded Tanya Sealy as he came at her with another kick. Tanya had blocked too low, and Davis's foot was barely an inch away from her face when they stopped moving.

"See, I could have taken your head off with that kick," Davis pointed out to her as they stopped to take a break. "Your foot speed's really improved, though," he complimented her.

"Thanks," Tanya nodded. Instinctively she took a breath, before realizing that she was barely winded. At first she'd resented the gruelling workouts Davis had subjected her to, but that was before she realized how much they were building up her stamina. Her reflexes had dramatically improved as well, and she was now able to keep up with Davis in their sparring sessions.

Originally a high-class call girl, Tanya had been recruited by Davis after he'd seen how she'd been abused by some of her other clients. Davis himself was a member of the Serpent Society, a supervillain mercenary team whose members based themselves and their powers off various types of snakes. Much to Tanya's amazement, he'd offered her a position with the Serpent Society, replacing a female member by the name of Black Mamba, who'd been killed by the supervillain 8-Ball during a failed mission last year. Although Tanya didn't have any real combat training or superpowers, Davis had offered to train her himself and said that the Serpent Society would be able to provide her with powers.

"I'm really proud of you, Tan," Davis smiled warmly as they drank some water. "I'd be amazed at how far you've come…if I didn't already know that I'm such a good teacher," he grinned.

Tanya only snickered at that. At first she'd thought that Davis was crazy, offering to make her into a costumed killer, and only accepted his offer because she thought she'd be able to use the training to better protect herself from abusive johns. The idea of being a hired killer didn't really bother her, particularly since she'd killed more than one john who had tried to take things too far. Associating with known criminals and murderers didn't bother her either, particularly since most of her clients were wealthy criminals, corrupt business executives or supervillains. Indeed, Davis and several of the other male members of the Society had been some of her best customers. They'd also been unfailingly polite to her, being some of the best tippers.

Having spent the last two months in the company of the rest of the Society, Tanya found herself liking the idea of joining their ranks. From her youth growing up in foster care to starting a career as an exotic dancer and eventually a call girl, Tanya hadn't had many close friends or even family, only people that she'd exploited or been exploited by. With the Serpent Society, it was different-Davis had been the first person to ever really express concern for her wellbeing, and she'd been able to build on the cordial relationships she'd been able to form with the other Serpents who were her former customers. It didn't take long for Asp, Fer-de-Lance and the other female Society members to start treating her like one of the girls, helping her physically and mentally prepare for the procedure that would imbue her with superpowers.

It was strange, but among these criminals and murderers Tanya felt something she'd never really felt before.

She felt like she belonged.

* * *

First, it had been the Westons who'd been beaten to within an inch of their lives at the hands of the mysterious, black-clad individuals who broke into their home. Even several weeks after the attack, their son still woke up screaming in the middle of the night and both Harold and Sierra were still having nightmares about the incident.

Then it had been the Petersens, who had been forced by the home invaders to watch as their children's throats were slit and they slowly bled out. Since that time, Mr. Petersen had a nervous breakdown after Mrs. Petersen had killed herself.

Stephen Krieger and Hiroshi Suzumiya were permanently crippled, and various other shootings, rapes and beatings had taken place.

The one thing all of these people had in common was the fact that they had given angry replies to Vincent Gonzalez's anti-Spider-Woman hate campaign, in many cases because they themselves had been saved by Spider-Woman in her previous efforts. Vincent had subsequently arranged for some of his "friends" to pay them a visit and give them a blunt "rebuttal" of his own.

Vincent had to give his friends credit-in their home invasions, they'd left very little evidence for the police to go on. Even if some enterprising detective managed to connect the dots between all the victims, what did that matter? Vincent had carefully selected which of the people replying to his hate campaign he would have his friends assault-the majority of the people who'd spoken out against him remained unharmed, after all.

The first part of Vincent's plan was complete-he'd delivered the rebuttal he'd wanted to the people who'd dared to criticize him. Now on to the second part, blaming Spider-Woman for being unable to protect the very people who respected and admired her. What kind of superhero would do that?

That would get even more of the public turned against her. Hell, he might even get some positive press from the _Daily Bugle, _given J. Jonah Jameson's well-known dislike of costumed superheroes and his calls for superheroes to be officially registered before they could fight crime. Spider-Man might have been the main focus of Jameson's editorials, but Spider-Woman would almost certainly get some unpleasant attention from Jameson due to her similarity to the male web-slinger.

Yes, it was all working out nicely.

* * *

Moonstone's arrest and subsequent exposure as Dr. Karla Sofen, senior psychiatrist at the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, caused an uproar in the media, a scandal in Congress and a political hot potato for those Senate candidates who were up for reelection this year, including Senator Thomas Finster of New Jersey and Senator Robert Kelly of New York State. It had also reignited a fierce debate in the New York state legislature over the merits of amending the state's constitution to bring back the death penalty specifically for costumed supervillains, as the death penalty had previously been deemed unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court in 2004. There was also a considerable debate as to what to do with the prisoners in Ravencroft, who had previously been remanded to the asylum under the insanity defense when they were brought to trial. There was talk of retrying many of them for their crimes, which would in turn cause all kinds of administrative chaos in the court system.

Previously known as the ghoulish costumed psychopath called Jack O' Lantern, Stephen Mark Levins had eventually been defeated by Spider-Woman after his attempt to form the Tomorrow Legion, a new informal supervillain cartel whose members would coordinate their crimes to increase the chaos, suffering and profit they would reap from their sadistic activities. Now, following the proceedings from the Raft, the superhuman wing of Ryker's Island Prison, Levins found the whole situation absolutely hilarious.

"Can you believe it, Jackson?" Levins cackled to Jackson Arvad, more commonly known as Will O' the Wisp and another one of Spider-Woman's enemies, as they ate dinner in the prison lunchroom one evening. "I mean, I knew the system was messed up, but to **this **extent? This just confirms all the stuff I was saying about how most people are sheep-they're too stupid to see danger when it's creeping up on them, and then when a crisis hits, they all go into a panic!"

"Didn't you actually meet with her once, when she asked you for an interview?" Jackson asked.

"You bet," Levins grinned. "I was actually pretty impressed at the time with how smart she was, and I remember thinking about how she could have made a really good supervillain herself! God, I love being right!" he laughed, before he instantly calmed, a look of seething rage suddenly crossing his face.

"Is something wrong, Jack?" Jackson asked, remembering how much Levins demanded that he be addressed by his supervillain name.

"No," Levins lied. Inwardly he was thinking again about how much he hated Mary Jane Watson, alias the spectacular Spider-Woman, and how much of her own villainous potential she had wasted. She wasted her power protecting those same pathetic, snivelling people he wanted to prey on, ruining his fun and-

"…Never mind," Levins shook his head. "I'm glad that young lady's made an effort to revive the spirit of the Tomorrow Legion," he finished, making an effort to force himself to smile.

"Yes," Jackson replied sourly, annoyed at having missed yet another opportunity to participate in the Legion. "They're having all the fun, while we're rotting in this hellhole-"

"I take it you haven't spoken to Mr. Fear yet," Levins smirked, his good mood returning.

"Why would I have spoken to him?" Jackson asked.

Instead of replying, Levins was looking up at the clock on the wall.

"Right about…now!" he laughed. "What perfect timing!"

Almost immediately, there was a loud electric crackling in the air, buzzing for several seconds before falling silent once again. Many of the supervillains in the lunchroom stood up and began shouting to one another in alarm, until they realized their power-disabling restraints had been disabled. Jackson and Levins both immediately recognized the sound as that of an electromagnetic pulse, which could disable any electrical device within the range of its being set off.

It was then that a truly bizarre sight appeared. A round black circle, an oversized dot, appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Several of the villains stared at it incredulously, before a human figure seemed to poke his head out of it. The figure was unlike any human most of them had ever seen. His skin was pure white and marked all over with black polka dots. Some of the villains recoiled in surprise, others started laughing at the weird individual, and still others cheered as they recognized their salvation.

The Spot may not have been the most sadistic or cruel of supervillains, but he was widely respected for his bizarre transportation abilities. He could take the spots he was covered with right off his body and convert them into portals that, when jumped into, could function as portals to wherever the Spot imagined them to go.

Chaos erupted as the guards tried to restrain the prisoners, although they were badly outmatched against their superpowered charges. In the middle of it all, the Spot began tearing spots off his body and throwing them at the supervillain inmates surrounding him.

"You can be here, there or everywhere!" the Spot chanted as many of the villains began eagerly running for the portals, while others continued to fight back against the guards and the Guardsmen who were now coming on the scene. "Just think of where you want to go, and that's where you'll be! All thanks to the wonderful Wizard of A.I.M.!"

Will O' the Wisp and Jack O' Lantern had eagerly joined in the fight, tearing through the guards who were attacking them. With his superhuman strength, Jack easily manhandled the vulnerable guards who tried to subdue him, while Will O' the Wisp had shifted into his ethereal form, a ball of golden light, and flown into the powered armor of the Guardsman attacking him. One of the Wisp's powers was his ability to enter and take control of electrically-powered devices, and he used this power to good effect as he forced the Guardsman's armor to remove its helmet and then use a repulsor blast to shatter the skull of the now helpless human trapped inside it.

"What is that fool prattling about?" Will o' the Wisp wondered, resuming his human form as Jack O' Lantern snapped the neck of the last guard he was fighting.

"He was likely referring to the Wizard," Jack surmised, referring to the brilliant criminal scientist who used to lead the supervillain team that called itself the Frightful Four, before becoming one of the top scientists at the technocratic terrorist organization A.I.M. "I'd venture that the Wizard developed some sort of device that allows the Spot to alter his portals so they attune themselves to whoever's passing through them and take that person wherever he or she wants to go."

"In other words, it's our way out of here?" Will o' the Wisp laughed.

Jack O' Lantern only smirked in return.

They each made for the closest portal and were instantly gone, carried to wherever they themselves most wanted to go.

In all, almost forty supervillains escaped from the Raft that day, leaving a slaughterhouse of dead prison guards in their wake.

The scandal was going to get all the greater when the media and the politicians got wind of just how easily the Spot had arranged the escape of so many dangerous criminals, but that was the least of the concerns faced by the heroes who'd originally incarcerated these villains to begin with.

(_**Next Issue:**_ While Mary Jane has apparently patched things up with Randy, things go from bad to worse for her with Vincent Gonzalez's hate campaign as he takes it to the next level, personally blaming Spider-Woman for his own thugs' rampages and calling for a larger ban on superheroic activities! Even that might not be the worst of the problems Spider-Woman has to deal with, as a number of her old enemies begin hatching new schemes after escaping from jail! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #42: Public Relations!_)


	48. Public Relations

Walking side by side with her boyfriend Randy Robertson across the campus of Empire State University, Mary Jane Watson reflected on just how much things had changed in the nearly two months since she'd gone steady with Randy. At first she'd been eager to form a steady relationship with him, especially after all the emotional support he'd given her, but then she'd become torn about whether to reveal her secret identity as the spectacular Spider-Woman once Randy had explained that he didn't like or trust superheroes. A chill had subsequently developed between them on New Year's Eve, when Mary Jane had to suddenly run out as Spider-Woman to fight the Brothers Grimm. Randy had seen through her feeble excuses and gotten angry at Mary Jane keeping secrets from him, until he'd finally come out and asked her whether she was Spider-Woman. The truth had finally come out, as Mary Jane admitted that she was the web-slinging heroine and explained to Randy just why she did it. In turn, Randy had come to better understand just what compelled her to do it.

All that seemed to be a thing of the past now, as Mary Jane and Randy had resumed dating and returned to their normal routines. In particular, Mary Jane enjoyed walking with Randy, leaning her head on his shoulder as they enjoyed the parklike atmosphere of the campus.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Mary Jane asked Randy, looking up at him as he took his eyes off the sky and returned her gaze. "Think the snow might melt soon?"

"You never know, I guess," Randy shrugged. "Winter does have its upsides, though."

"What's that?" Mary Jane asked curiously.

"Like the way that scarf matches your eyes," Randy grinned, referring to the forest-green scarf wrapped around Mary Jane's neck and the bright sparkle in her green eyes.

Mary Jane only giggled at that.

"The cold's a good excuse for us to cuddle, too," she realized, as she drew Randy in for a kiss. "We need to keep warm, after all."

They resumed their walk, Mary Jane happy and relieved to finally have the whole business of Randy's suspicions about her secret identity behind her. Even if Randy didn't seem entirely comfortable with what she was doing, he was at least making every effort to support her choices. Her grades were also much better than they had been last semester, now that she could spend more time focusing on her studies, and her mother Maddie Watson was now as healthy as she had ever been.

Of course, there was still the frustration and stress Mary Jane had to deal with over the fact that she hadn't had any good acting or modeling work in months, the fact that so many supervillains had escaped from Riker's Island Penitentiary last week, and especially Vincent Gonzalez's public hate campaign against her as Spider-Woman, with all the sickening details that went with it.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #42

"PUBLIC RELATIONS"

* * *

"Hello out there, I'm Mark Branden and this is _Branded, _the public affairs show that brings you the news and opinions that the establishment doesn't want you to know about," the TV pundit greeted his audience. "Tonight my guests will include Senator Hillary Clinton, who's going to fill us in on what she's got planned for Super Tuesday II. I'll also be joined by Al Edwards of Stop The Trough, with whom I'll be discussing his efforts to overturn this city's idiotic law that requires building projects to have funds set aside for public art."

"My first guest tonight, though, is Vincent Gonzalez of New Yorkers for a Spider-Free City, who's instigated an online hate campaign against the masked heroine Spider-Woman that's been spreading like wildfire. He's here tonight to talk about his plans to take his campaign to a whole new level!"

"So, Vincent," Branden said, turning from the camera to face Vincent Gonzalez, who was sitting in the guest's chair next to him, "what exactly is this whole new level you're talking about? Are you going to try and get Spider-Woman run out of town, or something?" Branden asked curiously.

"Not exactly," Vincent Gonzalez grinned, warming to his subject as the camera focused on him. "Rather, New Yorkers for a Spider-Free City is advocating a total ban on superheroing altogether. That's why my organization is becoming New Yorkers for a **Mask**-Free City!"

"But haven't Spider-Woman and the rest of New York's heroes saved a lot of people's lives?" Mark Branden raised an eyebrow. "What about the analyses released by economists ranging from Paul Krugman to Milton Friedman which all claim that superheroes have prevented supervillains from causing billions, if not trillions, of dollars in economic damage that would have resulted if the villains' plans had succeeded?"

"That's exactly the sort of thing a bunch of paper-pushing ivory tower-eggheads would say," Vincent snorted. "Is that really any consolation to the people whose loved ones get killed in a super-powered grudge match, or who end up losing their livelihoods after a villain trashes their store? No, it's not! My sister was murdered by that electrically-charged freakshow Supercharger, just because she criticized Spider-Woman! Where was Spider-Woman then, huh?"

"So what about all the people Spider-Woman and the city's other heroes have saved?" Mark Branden asked.

"What about them?" Vincent shrugged. "They wouldn't have been in danger in the first place if it wasn't for these costumed nuts treating our city like a playground! That's the thing-half of the superpowered fights in this city are caused by villains trying to get revenge on the heroes who stopped them in the first place! Most of the people heroes save were kidnapped by villains to use as hostages!"

There was considerable murmuring from the studio audience, as Branden rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"…So what would you do as a solution, then?" Branden asked him. "We get rid of the superheroes, and then the villains run amuck?"

"That's where the Second Amendment comes in," Vincent smirked. "A good, armed population can stand up to them the same way they do any other criminal," he said confidently.

"So where does that leave individuals with superpowers?" Branden asked. "What happens if you get doused with chemicals or get hit with radiation that gives you the ability to fly and shoot heat vision?"

"They can register with the government," Vincent pointed out. "There's no need for them to start putting on fancy Halloween outfits and causing more trouble than they actually prevent. It's just like with the mutants-if they don't do anything illegal, then they won't have anything to worry about!"

"Interesting," Branden nodded. "We'll be back after this…"

* * *

"You're home early," Mary Jane said to her aunt Anna Watson as Anna came in the door one night later that week, a dejected look on her face. "What happened?"

"…I don't know," Anna shook her head. "I thought I'd be having a good time. She seemed like the perfect catch, but after a while I was so bored I just couldn't take it anymore."

"Was there anything wrong with her?" Mary Jane blinked.

"No, Susie's really nice," Anna replied. "But for whatever reason, every time I go on a date and I think I've found someone I like, something always goes wrong."

"Are they all really nasty?" Mary Jane asked, scratching her head in confusion. "Are they not interested in you because you're a mother? Do they have the wrong kinds of careers or hobbies? What is it?"

"Sometimes it's one of those, sometimes it's another," Anna shrugged. "I really don't know, Mary Jane-the only time I ever really felt something special like that was when I had Kristy, and when you and your mother moved in."

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane raised an eyebrow.

"When I saw some of the people I grew up with having children of their own, I wanted one more than anything else in the world," Anna explained. "I was lucky to get one of my male friends to agree to donate his sperm. When you and Maddie moved in, I was really happy to be able to help you. You're both like family to me-Maddie's like the sister I never had! But every time I try to find a girlfriend, it never seems to work out," Anna sighed sadly.

"And you've never been interested in men?" Mary Jane asked.

"No," Anna shook her head. "I mean, as friends and relatives I don't have a problem, but I've never really been attracted to men. That's when I realized I was probably gay," she noted.

Mary Jane thought on that for several moments, before her eyes lit up.

"Are you really _sure _you're a lesbian, though?" Mary Jane asked her.

"Of course I am," replied Anna, slightly confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you've never really been all that happy dating other women," Mary Jane pointed out. "Out of all of them, you couldn't see yourself with any of them at all?"

"No," Anna shook her head. "Every single time, it just fizzled out."

"And the only time you've ever really felt happy that way was when Kristy, Mom and I joined the family?" Mary Jane pointed out.

"Yeah…" Anna nodded.

"See, I think the thing is that you're not so much interested in having sex as you are in having a family," Mary Jane pointed out. "Did you ever feel the same urge to have another kid after you had Kristy?"

"Well, no…" Anna shook her head. "I just wanted a child of my own to love. Once I had Kristy, I felt like I got what I wanted."

"And what about me and Mom?" Mary Jane persisted.

"Well, I was just worried about you," Anna said. "I mean, you're family! How could I leave you hanging after your father kicked you out of the house?"

"Exactly my point," Mary Jane smiled. "I don't think you're a lesbian, Aunt Anna-you just thought you were because you realized you weren't interested in men. If anything, I think you're probably asexual."

Anna thought on that for several minutes, turning over in her mind everything that Mary Jane had said.

"…Actually, it explains a lot," she realized. "Thanks a lot, MJ…"

Mary Jane just smiled back.

* * *

Jackson Arvad scowled as he looked over the reports the Fixer had provided to him. Having participated in the mass jailbreak orchestrated by the Spot from Riker's Island, he had since commissioned the Fixer, the well-known criminal technologist, to gather some information on a number of people Arvad was interested in.

More commonly known as Will O' the Wisp, Jackson Arvad had gained the ability to control the molecules in his body, transforming himself into a streak of golden light that could do everything from control machinery to blind or even hypnotize anyone in the vicinity. His powers came from a disastrous accident during an energy experiment when he worked at the Roxxon Energy Corporation, which stemmed from Jackson's attempting to impress his bosses with his thriftiness by reducing spending on safety measures. Arvad had been the only one to survive the resulting explosion, and he'd been subsequently fired by Roxxon for negligence. His attempts to sue the company for wrongful termination had bankrupted him, even as his wife left him for constantly neglecting her in favor of his work. Bankrupted and feeling as though he had nothing left to lose, he'd become a supervillain before being defeated by Spider-Woman and sent to prison.

Now, having gotten out of jail, Will o' the Wisp intended to make up for lost time. He'd hired the Fixer to compile information on his wife Maureen and various other targets that he intended to get revenge on. The Fixer had gathered most of this information through a sophisticated bot program he'd developed that could gather information from both the Internet and the Outsider Network, a special global communications network the Fixer had developed that was almost impossible for law enforcement officials to track via IP addresses or other cyber-detection methods. The Fixer's bot program had gathered information from the four corners of both networks for the Wisp to use, inspired by his original success at doing it for Moonstone after her attempt to revive the infamous Tomorrow Legion supervillain cartel. Since then, other villains had begun paying the Fixer to gather the information they wanted, and the Fixer was quite ready to accommodate them.

Looking over the information, the Wisp had a good idea where Maureen was living, and he also got some useful information on a number of the other people he'd made enemies of during his time at Roxxon. The Wisp had stepped on a lot of people to get to the top at Roxxon, and they'd enjoyed watching him fall.

_They're going to be the first ones, _the Wisp thought to himself, his eyes glowing pure white with anger. _I'm going to show them why I crushed them in the first place!_

_And then Maureen, and that backstabbing son of a bitch Hugh, _the Wisp continued, referring to Hugh Jones, a Roxxon staffer the Wisp had stepped on to get a senior manager's position and who Maureen had eventually run off with.

_The only possible complication, of course, is what I'll do if Spider-Woman interferes, _the Wisp continued.

_Of course, if she does…_

…_well, I've wanted my revenge on __**her**__ for a long time now as well, _he concluded.

* * *

Mary Jane grimaced as she read the article in the celebrity gossip magazine, wondering if the writer could possibly have been more blind. The article was a speculation on which actors or actresses would be best suited to playing the roles of various superheroes, and the writer had claimed that Kirsten Dunst was the actress best-suited to play Spider-Woman.

_That's got to be one of the most insulting things I've ever read, _Mary Jane frowned in disgust as she continued reading the article. _I mean, there are so many better actresses that could play me as Spider-Woman: Dallas Bryce Howard, Jennifer Lyons, Anne Hathaway, Jennette McCurdy, Hilary Duff, Taylor Swift, Eliza Dushku, Kelly Brook, Emma Stone…and this hack excuse for a journalist chooses Kirsten Dunst? She doesn't even look anything like me!_

Resisting the urge to throw the magazine across the room, Mary Jane happened to look up and saw her reflection in the mirror. She saw that her cheeks were red with anger and that her mouth was turned down in an angry scowl, and burst into laughter at how ridiculous she was for getting so angry over something so absurdly silly.

Turning the page in her magazine, her amusement turned to pain as she saw Felicia Hardy posing for Kingsley Cosmetics' Satin Angel perfume line. That modeling work was Mary Jane's for the taking, but she'd lost it after she'd been groped by Kingsley Cosmetics' lecherous head Roderick Kingsley, and she'd broken his nose striking back at him. Since that time, Kingsley had threatened to ruin her career, and so far it seemed like he'd succeeded-Mary Jane hadn't had much in the way of callbacks for the few modeling jobs she'd applied for since that miserable day. Then again, she'd been so consumed with her studies and moving back home that she'd more or less put looking for work on hold.

Still, it pained Mary Jane to think of all the modeling jobs and acting roles that she'd probably missed over the last few months. It still meant a lot to her to be able to do those things-whenever she was on stage or in front of a camera, all her troubles went away and she could immerse herself fully in the role, playing it to perfection.

So it was that the ring on her cell phone startled her, and it took her a few seconds to answer it.

"Hello?" she asked curiously.

_"Is this Mary Jane Watson?" _a husky woman's voice on the other end asked.

"Yes…" Mary Jane trailed off. "And you are?"

_"My name is Desiree Vaughn-Pope," _the woman replied. _"Perhaps you've heard of me?" _

"Of course I have," Mary Jane nodded. Vaughn-Pope Cosmetics was a rising company in the fashion world, and it was known both for its innovative designs and its ugly rivalry with Kingsley Cosmetics, owned by the lecherous Roderick Kingsley. Their long and bitter feud had been the talk of the fashion world for the last couple of years, culminating in a lawsuit launched by Vaughn-Pope against Kingsley, in which she alleged that that Kingsley had plagiarized some of her company's designs and perfume recipes and passed them off as his own.

"Why are you calling me?" she asked.

_"I've heard about your little…'incident' with Mr. Kingsley," _Desiree Vaughn-Pope replied, _"and I believe we can help each other." _

"…What did you have in mind?" Mary Jane asked slowly, completely baffled as to what Desiree Vaughn-Pope would want with her. Was Vaughn-Pope planning something illegal? Did she need Mary Jane as a witness in a civil suit against Kingsley?

_"I have a new product line that I'm preparing to bring to market," _Vaughn-Pope replied calmly, _"and I'm looking for new talent." _

"What kind of talent?" Mary Jane asked, although she was getting an idea of what Vaughn-Pope had in mind.

_"I would like to enlist your considerable skills in helping me get back at Kingsley, my dear," _Vaughn-Pope replied. _"I've seen the work you did for Kingsley, and I have to admit that I rather envied him for finding someone of your caliber. Of course, after your little 'falling out' with him, I realized you were a free agent." _

"What did he say about me?" Mary Jane asked, anger rising up in her again.

_"He called you a pretentious witch with an ego even bigger than her bust size," _Vaughn-Pope explained, _"but I can assure you that most people did not take him at face value. As you may have heard, Kingsley is known as the sneering lizard of the fashion world. Most of us have been on the receiving end of his slander at one time or another, and so his fellow fashion mavens have learned to take his words with a few grains of salt. I would presume that there was more to the story than your simply being difficult to work with?" _

"Yes, if you count being groped by a married man old enough to be your father," Mary Jane spat in disgust. "I can't say I regret breaking his nose for that."

_"I have to admit, that's my other reason for wanting to hire you," _Vaughn-Pope tittered. _"But I believe I have a winning product at hand, and I just need some good models to help me advertise it!" _

"What's the product?" Mary Jane asked, curiosity replacing anger.

_"Thigh-high socks have come back as a popular fashion trend recently, as I'm sure you're aware. More particularly, knee- and thigh-high sports socks have become popular, and that's what I'm producing as part of my new relaunch. I'm producing a new line of socks patterned after the colors of the various NFL teams. There's going to be 32 variants, one for each team!" _

"Wow, that sounds great!" Mary Jane grinned. "When were you planning to do the shoot?"

_"You're probably still in school right now, aren't you?" _Vaughn-Pope noted. _"Midterms are coming up, aren't they?" _

"I'm afraid so," Mary Jane sighed.

_"And Spring Break's coming up too," _Vaughn-Pope noted, _"and somehow I doubt you want to spend all your vacation time working. Tell you what-when you get an idea of your schedule over the next couple of weeks, let me know and we'll work something out. I still need to recruit some other models too." _

"No problem," Mary Jane grinned. "And thanks, Ms. Vaughn-Pope-I really appreciate it."

_"It's my pleasure, I assure you," _Vaughn-Pope replied, before she hung up.

Mary Jane hung up as well and resumed reading, her mood brightening immediately.

She wasn't sure what pleased her more-the thought of getting more paying work, or the thought of sticking it to Roderick Kingsley.

* * *

Gregor Shapanka nodded in satisfaction as he finished inspecting the cryogenic units of his costume. He wasn't sure how long it would take him to track down this Donald Gill character, and he knew he'd have to be ready for anything, especially if he ran into some sort of meddling, do-gooder superhero. Shapanka had always been obsessive when it came to detail, and that was what had led him to rise as far as he had at Stark Industries.

Of course, that same obsession also led Shapanka to be fired by Tony Stark after he'd embezzled corporate resources and funds to work on some of his own personal projects in cryonics. While Stark had been intrigued by Shapanka's original proposals for cryonics technology, he'd had concerns about how much Shapanka's research was running in the way of expenses, particularly given how much the company would have had to charge for some of the devices Shapanka planned to develop, which would further narrow the market and limit potential sales. When Shapanka blew off his concerns, Stark immediately nixed his projects in response.

Infuriated at what he viewed as Stark's wishy-washiness, Shapanka began looting the resources he needed to complete his work, but Stark had always made sure his security employees earned their pay. Shapanka's thefts had been discovered and he'd been fired by Stark, who'd also testified at Shapanka's trial for theft and embezzlement. During his testimony, Stark had specifically pointed out Shapanka's obsessive drive, noting that it prevented him from taking "No" for an answer and led him to try and tear down anything or anyone who got in his way.

Stark's words proved to be prophetic several years later after Shapanka's release from prison. Having now perfected his cryogenic technology on his own, Shapanka had decided to keep the technology for himself, not thinking anyone else worthy enough to benefit from his genius. Taking his cue from the costumed supervillains who were popping up all over the world, Shapanka joined their ranks as the costumed criminal Blizzard. He'd first indulged his grudge against Stark Enterprises, and had clashed with Iron Man, the armored warrior that Stark Enterprises had developed to protect the company's assets. Defeated by Iron Man, Shapanka had gone on to clash with Iron Man several more times, even as he battled other superheroes like She-Hulk and served in the Masters of Evil.

Today, however, Shapanka was after an entirely different target. He'd been out of New York for several years, seeking out other cities where there was less supervillain competition. He'd only come back because he'd heard of a second villain who called himself Blizzard, a member of a particularly pathetic family of petty crooks and hoods who'd gained ice and cold powers after a freak accident involving Freon chemicals. He'd subsequently been defeated by Spider-Woman, and he'd been quite content to remain in prison until this recent outbreak organized by Norman Osborn, who'd sent the Spot to free the residents of the Raft.

Shapanka was outraged that anyone else would dare to try and use his supervillain alias, and he had come back to New York with the express purpose of killing Donald Gill, alias the second Blizzard, as a warning to anyone else with cold-based powers who might try to steal an identity that Shapanka considered to be his and his alone.

And if Iron Man, or anyone else, tried to interfere…

…well, no one ever accused Gregor Shapanka of having any warm feelings for anyone who got in his way.

* * *

"Hey, Randy!" Mary Jane greeted her boyfriend as they met for lunch the next day.

Randy looked up in response to her calling him, but he didn't return her smile as he usually did. Right away, Mary Jane could tell something was wrong-he had a faraway look in his eyes, and he was breathing heavily, as if he could barely contain his anger. He'd been looking at his laptop computer, which was open on the table in front of him, and now he was rubbing his face in a combination of disbelief and rage.

"What's wrong, Randy?" Mary Jane asked, as she sat down to join him.

"…It's all happening again, Mary Jane," Randy muttered.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked in confusion.

"See for yourself," Randy said in disgust, turning around the computer so Mary Jane could take a look at it. To Mary Jane's dismay, she saw that Randy had been looking at an article on a popular news site recounting some of the latest attacks by mutant terrorists such as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the Mutant Liberation Front. The article further discussed how prominent voices such as Senator Robert Kelly were tying these mutant terrorist attacks to the activities of the larger supervillain community, noting that other prominent villains such as Whirlwind, Screaming Mimi and the Nasty Boys were mutants as well. The article concluded by noting the rise in anti-mutant violence and hate crimes that had been occurring over the last several months in response.

"See why I'm so pissed?" Randy asked, noting the way Mary Jane paled as she read the article. "This is just more of the same kind of bullshit mutants have been suffering for the last decade!"

Mary Jane wasn't sure what to say.

"It's just like the shit black people still have to put up with in this goddamn country," Randy scowled. "We still get pulled over by the cops because they think we stole the cars we're driving, we still get dirty looks and threats when we date white women, we're still accused of being welfare cases who just sponge off the system without contributing. I mean, what the hell's even the point anymore?" he finished, clenching his hands in disgust.

"I…" Mary Jane trailed off. "I'm sorry…I wish…I wish I knew what to say…"

"That's because you don't have to deal with any of this shit," Randy spat, his eyes flaring. "You don't know what it's like to grow up black in this country..."

Mary Jane closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath.

"Maybe not," she replied, "but I do know what it's like to grow up a woman in this country."

Randy blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the calm but intense tone in Mary Jane's voice.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"See for yourself," Mary Jane replied, typing at Randy's computer before turning it back around to show him. Now it was Randy's turn to be disgusted as he read through the comments on the website Vincent Gonzalez had launched to promote his hate campaign against Spider-Woman, particularly those that described the lurid sexual goals many of the critics had for her.

"Oh my God," he muttered.

"It's not the sort of thing Daredevil or Moon Knight would have to put up with, is it?" Mary Jane pointed out. "Sometimes I doubt that their enemies would hit on them the first time they met, either. I may not be black, but I am a woman, and women still have to deal with a lot of crap in this day and age. When we go into business or politics, we still have people judging us by the way we look, rather than what we actually accomplished…" she trailed off.

"Yeah, but-" Randy caught himself, not entirely sure of what to say. "I mean, after everything that's happened-"

"Remember what you told me once, when we were trying out for _The Wiz?_" Mary Jane reminded him. "About what we were capable of if we believed in ourselves, and how we often forget the good by paying too much attention to the bad?" she continued. "That's the sort of thing you've helped me remember, Randy-do you know how many times I've wanted to just give up because of everything that's happened to me? If I've been able to do some good as Spider-Woman, you've done just as much to help me achieve it as anyone else."

Randy smiled sadly at that, although the pain was still clear in his eyes.

"Yeah, but what about-" he began.

"-your own community?" Mary Jane finished the sentence for him. "You're only twenty-one, Randy-there's no rush to do it all at once. What really matters is that you've got the desire. That's what counts as much as anything-you've got your whole life ahead of you, and I know you're going to accomplish everything you ever wanted to and more. Besides, you've already done more good than you originally expected-what about me and Kitty? Kitty's a mutant and we're both women-where would we be without you?" she finished, smiling brightly.

Randy just shook his head, as his smile grew wider.

"Let me guess-I forgot my own advice, didn't I?" he grinned.

"Pretty much," Mary Jane chuckled, the warmth of her smile making Randy feel as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Thanks, MJ," he smiled back at her.

"I'm just returning the favor," she pointed out.

* * *

The man was a hellish glow in the darkness, making a careful effort to keep his flames low as he walked down the street of Hell's Kitchen. He was carefully concealed in a thick winter coat, pants, hat and scarf that left him almost completely concealed, looking for all the world as yet another victim of the New York streets who'd fallen through the cracks in the system. In some ways, however, he stood out-he couldn't completely dispel the heat that emanated from his body, and if anyone had been looking at his footprints they would have seen the half-melted, congealed snow he left in his wake.

Of course, if they could see through the outer layer of clothing, the people passing by would have had very different reactions indeed. The man was once known as Harvey Broxtel, the son of wealthy steel magnate Gary Broxtel. Unfortunately, despite his parents' best efforts to discipline him and make him into a decent member of society, Harvey had combined a bloated sense of entitlement with a latent sociopathy that made him feel as if he had the right to abuse, terrify, beat and otherwise torment anyone with less money or privilege than he did.

Sending Harvey to public school as a way of making him get to know lower-class people hadn't helped one bit. All it did was turn Harvey into a cruel, sadistic bully in high school, and later a violent thug who beat on people who angered him. Unfortunately, Harvey's hair-trigger temper was tragically easy to set off, and he took a psychotic pleasure in beating on anyone he could get his hands on for the flimsiest of reasons.

Harvey had finally been arrested for beating one of his former victims nearly to death for telling on him, but during a prison break he'd been doused by a special radioactive plasma that had given him the power to generate and control flame. Now calling himself Firebrand, clad in a suit of jagged metal plates that had permanently melted into his skin during the accident, Harvey continued his rampages with his new fire-generating powers, at least until he was defeated by Spider-Woman. Arrested after Spider-Woman had defeated him, Firebrand had benefited from the recent jailbreak carried out by the Spot, which he'd heard had been orchestrated by Norman Osborn, alias the Green Goblin.

Firebrand didn't know exactly why the Goblin had organized the jailbreak, and in truth he didn't much care. He had a much bigger goal in mind-namely, killing his parents for what they'd done to him.

It still enraged Firebrand to think of how Gary and Emily Broxtel tried to make him, their only son, see himself as no better than the pathetic, miserable lowlifes who made up most of the population of New York. They had the wealth and the power, and they dared to treat him, their flesh and blood, the heir to everything they'd built, as though he were no better than some servant's kid?

Firebrand's anger boiled within him, but he did not release his flames. It was a good thing, since the intensity of Firebrand's flames tended to increase exponentially with his anger. The last thing he wanted was to burn the building he was staying in to the ground all around him.

He intended to reserve that honor for the house he'd grown up in.

* * *

Mary Jane had heard about the breakout at the Raft, and she realized that many of the villains she'd battled as Spider-Woman had probably escaped. Naturally, she was less than thrilled to hear about that, and had decided to go to the Raft herself to find out just which of her enemies had escaped.

That was one reason she wanted to go, but there was another reason she was visiting, one that was more important than anything to do with the rest of her enemies.

"I'm sorry I haven't been by in a while," Mary Jane apologized to Marie-Ange Colbert as they sat down in the prison visiting room. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty well, actually," Marie-Ange smiled back. Previously known as the costumed supervillain Tarot, a combination of an unpleasant home life and the abuse she'd suffered at the hands of people like Felicia Hardy and Sally Avril had led her to use her mutant abilities to summon the magical spirits of the tarot to kidnap and attempt to murder Felicia, Sally and the rest of the people she blamed for her misery. Tarot's plans had been thwarted by Spider-Woman, and ever since she'd been tried and sentenced Marie-Ange had been willing to remain in prison and serve out her sentence. Mary Jane came to visit her as often as she could, realizing that Tarot wasn't like the psychopaths who made up most of the rest of her rogues gallery.

"Are they treating you alright in here?" Mary Jane asked in concern.

Marie-Ange briefly frowned and looked away, before she managed to regain a straight face, forcing a smile onto her face.

"What's wrong?" Mary Jane asked, immediately realizing that something was wrong. "Are the guards-"

"…Not the guards," Marie-Ange shook her head. "Ever since that jailbreak the Spot did a couple of weeks ago, the guards have been pleased with my good behavior. I might not have actually gotten the chance to escape, but even if I did I never would have done it anyway. The guards were so angry about the Spot's jailbreak that they've been really nice to me."

"So what is it, then?" Mary Jane asked with a frown. "Is it the inmates?"

"…Yeah," Marie-Ange said sadly. "With all the crap that the mutant terrorist organizations are pulling right now, and the way it's being tied into the bigger supervillain population, the other prisoners are attributing it to me and all the other mutant prisoners. We're…" she trailed off again, unconsciously rubbing at the sleeves of her prison uniform.

Mary Jane recognized it immediately.

"Show me your arms," Mary Jane ordered Marie-Ange.

Marie-Ange paled, shaking her head.

"Show them to me!" Mary Jane insisted, as Marie-Ange reluctantly complied. Mary Jane flinched as she looked over the bruises, scars and cigarette burns on Marie-Ange's arms, realizing that the inmates abusing her were probably smart enough to only mark her in places where her clothing would cover it up.

"How can you let them do this to you?" Mary Jane asked in horror.

"…What can I do?" Marie-Ange shook her head. "I can't use my powers, and the inmates are managing to isolate me from the guards. If I act or tell anyone, they'll…" she blinked away the tears that were starting to appear in her eyes.

Mary Jane gripped the front of the table she was sitting at, trying to keep her rising fury under control, even as her cheeks took on an angry crimson hue.

"This is bullshit," Mary Jane muttered under her breath, as Marie-Ange looked at her curiously. "How the hell can you, of all people, get blamed for the crap that the Brotherhood is pulling?" she asked in frustration.

Marie-Ange just looked down.

"The guards can't protect you?" Mary Jane persisted.

"The other inmates are smart," Marie-Ange said quietly. "They've got all the time in the world to think up ways to get around the guards."

Mary Jane shook her head as she tried to figure out what to do.

There might not have been much she herself was capable of doing, but with luck Mary Jane might be able to get someone else, like Randy or even the X-Men, to help her deal with this.

"I won't leave you hanging in this, Marie-Ange," Mary Jane said determinedly, as she rose up from her chair. "Whatever it takes, I'm going to help you."

Marie-Ange still did say anything, only offering a sad smile in response.

Mary Jane returned the smile, although hers was one of determination and resolve.

* * *

The rest of the day and the evening passed quickly for Mary Jane, as she caught up on her homework and began planning her schedule for the next week. The month of March was coming up, and with luck she would be able to put her midterm exams behind her and then go on the trip to Daytona Beach that Harry was organizing for Spring Break in a couple of weeks. The trip she'd taken to Fire Island last year with her friends had been spoiled by the supervillain Polestar, and Mary Jane hoped that a trip to Daytona Beach wouldn't suffer the same fate.

It was while she was getting ready for bed that her cell phone rang. Surprised that anyone would be calling so late, Mary Jane picked up the phone, her surprise increasing when she saw that it was an unlisted number. Wondering who it could possibly be, Mary Jane opened the phone and held the receiver to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked curiously.

_"Hey, babes," _came a horrific, rasping voice on the other end. _"Remember me?" _

Mary Jane's blood ran cold as she heard the last voice she ever wanted to hear again. The guard she'd tried to talk to at the Raft yesterday while waiting for Marie-Ange had given her a verbal list of all the villains he knew of that had escaped in the Spot's jailbreak, but Jack O' Lantern had apparently slipped his mind, as improbable as that could be.

"Wh-what do you…" she stammered, her voice filling with fear and revulsion.

_"I just thought I'd pay my favorite lady a friendly visit," _Jack O' Lantern leered on the other end. _"Look out the window-I'm just above your house!" _

Frantically, Mary Jane did just that, throwing the window open and staring out into the cold, wintry night, but the streets were empty and dark.

"You…" Mary Jane gasped, half in anger and half in shock.

_"Made you look," _Jack O' Lantern snickered. _"But, tell me-you ever feel like you're being watched?" _

Mary Jane swallowed, trying to catch her breath as her heart pounded in her chest.

"I beat you before," she said determinedly, "and I'll do it again. If you so much as-"

_"You didn't answer my question," _Jack O' Lantern repeated himself. _"You ever feel like you're being watched?" _

"Damn you," Mary Jane scowled, anger rising within her. "Don't you dare-"

_"I ask because I'm watching you, Mary Jane," _Jack O' Lantern cackled. _"I know where you're going, I know where you've been, I know where you are. You won't know when, and you won't know how, but I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done-"_

"Everything **I've **done?" Mary Jane asked incredulously. "You're the one who chose to become a villain, you son of a-"

_"Don't you remember what happened to the last person who interrupted one of my villain monologues?" _Jack O' Lantern screeched, his rasping voice now filled with rage at being interrupted. _"Here's something to remember-you were the one stupid enough to let me find out your secret identity. Anything I do to the people you love-and you can be sure I'm going to do it-is all going to be on your head!" _he finished, laughing hysterically before hanging up.

Hanging up the phone, Mary Jane sat down on her bed, burying her head in her hands as she began to tremble involuntarily.

She tried to remind herself that this wasn't her fault, and that Jack O' Lantern would have hurt any number of innocent people no matter who he'd become an enemy of.

_If I hadn't become Jack O' Lantern's nemesis, he would almost certainly have become the enemy of Sleepwalker, Moon Knight, Luke Cage or some other New York-based hero, _Mary Jane told herself.

Those rationalizations paled beside her memory of what Randy had said when he'd learned that Jack O' Lantern had discovered her secret identity.

_"But what about your enemies?" Randy tried again. "I mean, there's that Jack O' Lantern freak, Polestar, Tarot and God knows who else! What if one of them finally kills you? What if they find out who you really are?" _

_ "If they hadn't become part of my rogues gallery, they would have become part of someone else's," Mary Jane pointed out. "And Jack O' Lantern does know who I am. I don't know how he found out, but he somehow discovered my secret identity." _

_Randy recoiled in horror at that, breaking away from Mary Jane and staring at her in disbelief. _

_ "He **knows **who you are?" Randy asked incredulously. "How could you let that happen? What if that sick freak-" _

_ "You think I **haven't** thought about that?" Mary Jane replied, her voice starting to crack. "You think I don't know that Jack O' Lantern could ruin my life just by revealing my secret identity, or by going after my loved ones? But what can I do about it if he tries, except stop him as Spider-Woman?" _

_ "And I suppose you never thought about all the other people you were putting in danger by letting that psychopath find out about who you really were, did you?" Randy accused her, his voice rising in anger. "Now **they're **going to have to spend all their time looking over their shoulders!" _

Mary Jane kept trying to tell herself that she hadn't done anything wrong, but the guilt and horror continued to fester in her mind.

Her sleep that night was restless and fitful, and on the rare occasions when she'd managed to fall asleep the image of Jack O' Lantern's flaming, leering pumpkin mask and insane laughter filled her dreams.

(_**Next Issue:**_ With Jack O' Lantern's threats hanging over her head, Mary Jane tries to cope with the stress and frustration they cause her even as she prepares for Desiree Pope-Vaughn's modelling work, tries to organize help for Marie-Ange Colbert in prison, keep up on her schoolwork and tell her mother and Randy about Jack O' Lantern's latest threats. On top of everything else, she and Randy are invited to lunch by Randy's parents, who are eager to meet their son's new girlfriend. Even this isn't the last of the headaches Mary Jane has to deal with, she's forced to intervene as Spider-Woman when Will O' the Wisp attempts to murder his ex-wife and her new lover to get revenge for his wife abandoning him! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #43: Hell Hath No Fury Like A Supervillain Scorned!_)


	49. Hell Hath No Fury Like A Villain Scorned

Her sleep had been restless and fitful, her nightmares plagued with grinning, flaming pumpkin heads, ghoulish laughter, leering skeletons, demonic bats, screaming ghosts and other horrifying sights. Waking up the next morning hardly brought any more relief, as the laughter continued to echo at the back of her mind.

Slowly getting up out of bed with a groan, Mary Jane Watson walked into the bathroom, rubbing her forehead as she tried to organize her thoughts. Turning on the light, Mary Jane looked into the mirror and briefly gasped at her appearance. She looked as if she hadn't slept at all last night, the pained expression on her face dovetailing with the haunted look in her bloodshot eyes and the paleness of her complexion.

It had all started last night, when the psychopathic Jack O' Lantern, arguably the most deadly of the many villains that Mary Jane had fought as the spectacular Spider-Woman, had called her last night. The pumpkin-headed killer had taunted her about the fact that he somehow always knew where she was, the fact that he could strike her or her loved ones at any time, the fact that he had every intention of going on a rampage and the fact that she'd somehow been foolish enough to let him discover her secret identity.

Now, Mary Jane felt on edge, expecting Jack O' Lantern to strike at any moment. She felt like she should be out patrolling for him, to track him down and bring him to justice, but for some reason she couldn't use her spider-senses to track him down with the pheromones she'd marked him with. Mary Jane had also reminded herself that she had other responsibilities, both to herself and her loved ones, and that obsessing over what Jack O' Lantern might or might not do would be allowing him to win.

Of course, Mary Jane could tell herself all that.

But the memories of the horrifying crimes Jack O' Lantern had committed continued to echo on her memory, as did that same sick, twisted laughter, the laughter of a damned soul who knew what he was and who reveled in what he could do.

Wherever Mary Jane went, and whatever she did, she knew that Jack O' Lantern knew where she was.

Putting her head in her hands again, Mary Jane suddenly began breathing heavily before she managed to calm herself down and begin breathing normally.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #43

"HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A SUPERVILLAIN SCORNED"

* * *

Mary Jane managed to keep up a brave face during the day's classes, somehow able to concentrate on her studies. She was also fortunate to have something else to occupy her mind later that afternoon after her last class was done, meeting her mutant friend Kitty Pryde for lattes at the Coffee Bean.

Mary Jane hadn't even been waiting in line for two minutes before Kitty came in to join her, taking her place in line behind Mary Jane.

"Hi MJ," Kitty greeted Mary Jane, hugging her briefly. "How's it going?"

"Pretty well," Mary Jane lied, summoning all her acting skills to keep calm despite her churning insides. "How about you?"

"Same old, same old," Kitty lied in turn, although Mary Jane caught the way Kitty's eyes flickered. The more experienced actress by far, Mary Jane could tell that Kitty was very upset about something. She suspected that it was something to do either with Kitty being a mutant, or more likely because of something to do with Jack O' Lantern, whose true identity was that of Steven Mark Levins, Kitty's uncle and brother to her mother. "So, what's up?"

"I need your advice on something to do with mutant rights," Mary Jane explained before they came up to the counter and placed their orders. As they got their coffee and walked over to a table to sit down, Mary Jane noticed that Kitty had flinched at Mary Jane's words, looking distinctly uncomfortable. Kitty preferred to downplay her mutant heritage, having refused to join both the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants when they'd tried to recruit her, and was otherwise uninterested in using her mutant phasing powers except whenever it was convenient for her.

"…I'm not so sure I'm the best person to ask," Kitty finally muttered.

"I know how you feel," Mary Jane replied sympathetically, "but I'm kind of in a bind as to what to do. You know Marie-Ange Colbert?"

"Wasn't she that Tarot character?" Kitty frowned, trying to recall.

"She **used **to be," Mary Jane replied, emphasizing Marie-Ange's former costumed alter ego. "But ever since Spider-Woman stopped her, she's been in jail. She's a mutant, and that's why I was hoping you could give me some advice."

Kitty only sighed, not entirely comfortable with talking about mutant issues.

"What's the issue, anyway?" she asked. "I mean, didn't she try to kidnap you, and Liz, and a bunch of other people?"

"It's…complicated," Mary Jane said, before she recounted Marie-Ange's story to Kitty. Mary Jane told Kitty about the bullying Marie-Ange had experienced at Midtown High, her subsequent attempts to use her mutant powers to get revenge on the people she thought had hurt her, Mary Jane's subsequent visits to Marie-Ange in prison and the abuse the other female prisoners were subjecting Marie-Ange to. Kitty sat in silence through all of it, only raising her eyebrows at the end when she heard what Marie-Ange had been suffering.

"So why are you asking me about this?" Kitty wondered. "You think Marie-Ange is being abused because she's a mutant?"

"Not just her, but the other mutants, too," Mary Jane explained. "It's because of what mutant terrorists like the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants have been doing. I want to help Marie-Ange, Kitty. She's trying to turn her life around, and she doesn't deserve what those other inmates are doing to her! But…I don't know what I can do to help her. I figured that, since you were a mutant, you might have some kind of a suggestion…"

"You're asking the wrong person," Kitty shook her head. "Maybe the X-Men or some other activist group could help you, but I think you're wasting your time. Do you really think a lot of people are going to care about a bunch of convicted felons?" she pointed out.

Mary Jane frowned at that. Instinctively, she knew that Kitty was right, recalling how her friends Harry Osborn and Liz Allan had been ready to leave Marie-Ange to rot in jail. Even so, thinking about what Marie-Ange was going through made Mary Jane feel the same way she always did whenever she saw people suffering at the hands of supervillains. She obviously couldn't deal with the situation as Spider-Woman, but she still felt like she had to do something…

"Thanks, Kitty," Mary Jane frowned. "I hope I didn't put you on the spot with this-I just thought you might be able to help me," she said.

"It's cool," Kitty reassured her. "But like I said, I try to stay out of all that stuff."

"How are things going for you, though?" Mary Jane asked, concern returning to her face as she remembered the harassment Kitty had endured after being outed as a mutant by the _Daily Globe _when Jack O' Lantern had been exposed as her uncle.

"Not so bad," Kitty shrugged. "Mom's doing a lot better, and so's Aunt Karen. I should probably thank J. Jonah Jameson if I ever meet him-after he wrote that editorial attacking the people who were harassing me, a lot of them started criticizing him instead. Most people seem like they've forgotten about it, thank God."

"Well, you let me know if anything like that happens again, alright?" Mary Jane told her. "Remember what I said about how those bigots might **try **to hurt you? Anybody who tries that is going to have a pretty unpleasant day," she grinned widely.

Kitty just laughed at that.

* * *

"So what do you think you can do about it?" Mary Jane's boyfriend Randy Robertson asked her that evening after she'd recounted her conversation with Kitty. I mean, it's not like you can bust their heads as Spider-Woman or anything like that."

"Do you know anyone who might be able to help?" Mary Jane asked. "I mean, I want to do something, I'm just not sure how…"

"Hmm…" Randy frowned as he thought the matter over. "Maybe I could talk to the Boys Outta Brooklyn, and see if they know anything, but otherwise I'm not really sure myself. I mean, I don't know how many people are going to rally in support of convicted felons like Tarot."

"She's trying to turn things around," Mary Jane insisted. "And the reason people like her are suffering in prison is because they're mutants. Don't black inmates have to deal with the same kind of thing too?"

"Yeah, they do," Randy muttered, remembering everything he'd heard and read about racism in the prison system. "But even then, black inmates have had to resort to acts like the Attica Prison riots back in the '70s if they want to…what?" he asked in surprise, seeing Mary Jane's face light up.

"I take it those riots got a lot of attention, didn't they?" she asked him.

"Well, yeah," Randy nodded.

"Well then, maybe that's what we need!" Mary Jane said, as the idea continued to form in her mind. "Maybe media attention could help Tarot and the other mutant prisoners! Would the Boys Outta Brooklyn be willing to do something like that?"

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask," Randy shrugged. "Were you thinking of asking anyone else?"

"I know a few people at the _Daily Bugle,_" Mary Jane replied, recalling what Kitty had told her about how J. Jonah Jameson's editorials in the newspaper had helped divert attention from her after she was outed as a mutant and a relative of Jack O' Lantern. "Kitty says Jameson's always been in favor of mutant rights-maybe he could do something?"

"Grandpa Joe would always talk about how Jameson fought against segregation back in the '60s," Randy nodded. "Actually, that's probably a really good idea."

"Thanks," she grinned, smiling that perfect smile that made Randy's heart race.

"Say, what are you doing this Saturday?" he asked her.

"I didn't have anything planned," Mary Jane answered. "What did you have in mind?"

"My parents are in town, and they invited us to lunch," Randy explained. "They're really interested in meeting you."

A smile briefly crossed Mary Jane's face, and she was about to answer that she'd be happy to join him, but then she suddenly remembered Jack O' Lantern's threats, and paled at the thought.

"…What's wrong?" he asked her, although a sick feeling was already welling up in his stomach.

"Jack O' Lantern called me last night," Mary Jane replied, as she began to shudder involuntarily. "He…he said…"

"…What did he say?" Randy asked gently, trying not to force her.

"He said he was watching me," Mary Jane replied, swallowing hard as she forced herself to continue. "He said that he'd always know where I was, and that he was going to…" she trailed off, before steeling herself to continue, "….hurt the people I care about. I can't…I shouldn't…"

Randy recoiled in horror, his mind a whirl of emotions as he tried to think of what to say. A part of him felt sympathy for Mary Jane and her obvious distress and wanted to reassure her, but he also felt a surge of anger at the way Mary Jane had put everyone around her in danger by becoming the enemy of a psychotic monster like Jack O' Lantern. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hug her or yell at her, and if he was right to be angry at her or if he ought to be ashamed of himself. Randy also pointedly reminded himself of all the times Mary Jane had actually used her spider-powers to protect and save the people she cared about, ranging from Kitty Pryde to Liz Allan to her family.

"You…" he wasn't sure what to say. "You can't let him get to you, MJ…"

"But what if…what if he…" she stammered, now shaking involuntarily.

"This is just what he wants you to think," Randy continued, as much to convince himself as Mary Jane. "If you spend all your time looking over your shoulder…"

Mary Jane took a deep breath, pointedly reminding herself of what she'd realized at the end of that horrible night when she'd finally defeated Jack O' Lantern, that he'd win a small victory if he kept forcing her to worry about what he could do to her, whether by revealing her secret identity, hurting someone she cared about or anything else. There was nothing she would be able to do about it, and so there was no sense in worrying.

She kept telling herself that, but at the same time Jack O' Lantern's sickening laughter continued to echo at the back of her mind.

Randy hugged Mary Jane tightly, although the sympathy he felt for her was marred by the anger and disgust he felt at Mary Jane's endangering herself and the people around her with her crimefighting.

He tried not to feel it, tried to remind himself that Mary Jane had been able to do a lot of good with her powers and that he might have been doing the same thing if he was in her shoes, but he couldn't help himself.

* * *

He might have been forty-three years old, but Steven Mark Levins was the envy of men half his age. His body was trim and powerfully muscled, reflecting his peak physical condition and immense physical strength. The thick, dark hair on his head was showing the first signs of silver, but it only accented his chiseled, handsome features and the gleam of his dark eyes.

Those eyes kept Levins from looking like a Hollywood leading man-they were the eyes of a serial killer or a cult leader, emanating a powerful charisma or a frightening sadism as their owner desired. Levins' eyes had sealed his reputation both as one of the most terrifying supervillains in New York, and also as one of the most handsome. In the tradition of other notorious convicted murderers, Levins had received love letters from women enamored with his destructive tendencies, and he greatly enjoyed the attention.

The enjoyment Levins had felt from that, of course, paled in comparison to the enjoyment he felt as the terrifying Jack O' Lantern. He had created the supervillain identity as a way of unleashing his darkest fantasies and desires, a way to hurt and terrify innocent people the way he'd always dreamed of. Any money he made from his criminal activities was a bonus-what he truly reveled in was the looks of fear he inspired in his victims, and even some of his fellow criminals, when he did what he did. There was no underlying abuse or source of grief that made Jack O' Lantern commit his crimes-he did them because it was fun, because he was evil, and because he knew it was wrong.

Of course, his crimes had led him to be opposed by a costumed hero. From the day he'd first battled the spectacular Spider-Woman, who he'd later discovered was his niece's friend Mary Jane Watson, he'd felt a poisonous hate for her, a hatred borne of the fact that she was trying to interfere with his "fun", the fact that she was using her powers to help and protect Jack O' Lantern's prey and the fact that she represented everything he hated about heroes and the people they protected. Ever since she'd defeated him and sent him to prison, he'd vowed to get revenge on Spider-Woman if he ever escaped. Now, having finally escaped from jail thanks to the Spot, Jack O' Lantern was ready. Making his way to a hidden base he had set up in case he was ever arrested, Jack O' Lantern had reestablished himself and was now proceeding with those plans.

One of Jack O' Lantern's earliest activities had been to attack a charity function being held at New York's Plaza Hotel in an attempt to rob and hold for ransom the wealthy people attending the function. Naturally, Spider-Woman had tried to stop him, but Jack O' Lantern had planned for that…

_As she used her wall-crawling abilities to land on the side of one of the pillars in the room, Spider-Woman wasn't sure what horrified her more, Jack O' Lantern's words or the increasingly frenzied tone in which he was speaking. _

_ "Why?" she shouted in anger, springing into the air as Jack O' Lantern came towards her and catching him right in his pumpkin face with a vicious uppercut, before spinning another webline and swinging away, as the partygoers down below broke free of their fear and began to scream. _

"Because I know I'm not supposed to," _Jack O' Lantern seemed to grin despite the blow. _"Because I'm the bad guy. Because I'm evil!" _To emphasize the point, he reached into his belt and tossed almost a dozen boomerang bats at Spider-Woman, who tried to dodge frantically. They seemed to home in on her, despite her best efforts to avoid them. She destroyed several with her sting blasts, and smashed a few more, but the rest tore her across her body. Several sliced her limbs and torso, even as one stung her painfully in the back. _

Those boomerang bats had each contained a microscopic homing device, which Jack had intended for Spider-Woman or any other meddling hero who tried to interfere with his fun. The homing device emitted a signal that broadcast the movements and location of anything it was attached to, compiling the data over days, weeks and even months so that Jack O' Lantern could get a better idea of what the person was doing and where they were going.

Ever since Spider-Woman had been stung by the boomerang bat, the tiny tracking device had remained lodged in her back and given Jack O' Lantern a complete rundown of her movements for months at a time. As Steven Mark Levins, Jack O' Lantern had heard about how his niece Kitty Pryde had been sharing an apartment with one Mary Jane Watson. When he'd seen how much time Spider-Woman had been spending at that apartment, constantly spending the night there and returning there as if it was her home, Jack O' Lantern realized that she had to be Mary Jane.

Now that he'd finally gotten out of prison, Jack O' Lantern was ready to put that knowledge to good use. He'd noticed how emotional and hot-blooded Mary Jane often was, something that often came through as Spider-Woman, and also knew full well that he probably elicited stronger emotional reactions from her than any of her other enemies. After all, he'd killed her father and very nearly murdered her aunt when he'd taken those hostages at the Stark Enterprises office building, and he saw the way she fought him in comparison to some of her other enemies. It stood to reason that, when he'd escaped from prison, Mary Jane would hear about it and react appropriately.

Hence the threatening phone call he'd made, a phone call meant to terrify Mary Jane and let her know that he was watching her. Jack O' Lantern knew full well that Mary Jane would react with a combination of anger, fear and panic, constantly looking over her shoulder as she tried to figure out how he learned her secret identity. The additional bit about how he would strike at her loved ones would only increase her anger and worry.

In truth, though, Jack O' Lantern didn't plan to do anything for a little while yet. He wanted to make Mary Jane sweat first, to make her worry and stress build up, and then he'd be ready for the next part of his plan.

Of course, there was always the possibility that some other villain might end up killing Spider-Woman before he was ready for the next part of the plan. That wasn't really a concern, though. While ruining and killing Spider-Woman would be immensely satisfying, Jack O' Lantern would be quite happy to move on to other projects.

After all, he was the visionary who had originally conceived the Tomorrow Legion, and could easily revive it and make it stronger than ever after the failures of pretenders to the throne like Doctor Octopus and Moonstone…

Jack O' Lantern burst into laughter, that hysterical, insane laughter, at the thought of it.

* * *

"I see she never lost her taste for the finer things in life," Jackson Arvad observed as he glanced through the latest record the other man had given him. "So she's having dinner at the Libertine on Sunday?"

"My bots are never wrong, Mr. Arvad," the other man assured him smugly. His nondescript appearance belied his dangerous reputation as the Fixer, one of the continent's most formidably criminal technologists. Many of the deadly weapons now marketed on the black market to criminal syndicates, terrorists and other nefarious organizations by companies like Roxxon, Baintronics and Hammer Industries had sprung from his devious and extremely fertile mind.

Along with designing weapons for criminals and terrorists, the Fixer had also begun branching out into other fields. One of those fields was information gathering and sharing, for which he'd developed an elaborate "bot" program that allowed him to gather information from everything from bank databases to telephone records to websites. He could even scour the Outsider Network, a communications network analogous to the Internet, that was almost impossible for law enforcement to track and was used by criminal organizations ranging from terrorist groups to child pornographers, for information if he needed to. He had begun selling his services as an information broker to supervillains who had specific information they wanted him to gather. It had been a tremendous source of profit for the Fixer, as he was universally known in the criminal underworld for never sharing information or designs with people that his customers didn't want him to.

Today's customer was a man with shoulder-length blonde hair and entirely white eyes, clad in what looked like a green bodysuit with a golden starburst on the chest. Jackson Arvad was more commonly known as Will O' the Wisp, a supervillain who'd gained the ability to control the molecules in his body and convert them into pure energy. His original efforts at robbery and sabotage had been defeated by Spider-Woman, and he'd been imprisoned at Riker's Island until he'd escaped in the elaborate jailbreak orchestrated by the Spot. Now, he was planning to murder his wife Maureen for leaving him and having an affair with a rival coworker of his from Roxxon, after he'd neglected her in his determined efforts to be promoted. He'd originally paid the Fixer to gather information on what Maureen was doing and where she was living since she'd left him, and then to gather any information he could find on what Maureen's future plans were.

The Libertine was a high-class restaurant that catered to the New York elite-businesspeople, politicians, film and theater stars. While its prices were high, it also boasted some of the very finest cuisine in the entire city, prepared by five-star chefs gathered from the four corners of the world. Maureen had loved it when Jackson took her to the Libertine, bought her expensive designer clothes or shoes, or otherwise pampered her. Getting the money to pamper Maureen was in fact one of the reasons why Jackson had worked for the long hours he did, and repeatedly screwed his coworkers out of promotions and pay raises they sought.

Those efforts had instead led to him becoming a bankrupted freak of nature and caused Maureen to leave him for Hugh Jones, a former coworker that Jackson had stepped on to become the team leader on the research project that had turned him into Will O' the Wisp in the first place.

The Wisp's eyes glowed brightly again as he read the Fixer's report, his entire body glowing.

"Are you alright?" the Fixer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's none of your damn business," the Wisp replied with an angry scowl, as he reached into the bag he was carrying on his shoulder. Taking out a block of hundred-dollar bills, he tossed the money onto the Fixer's desk and turned to leave. Transforming into a brilliant ball of golden light, the Wisp phased right through the wall of the Fixer's lab and soon disappeared.

The Fixer simply stared at the wall that the Wisp passed through and sipped his coffee, a bemused look on his face.

* * *

Mary Jane was decidedly ill at ease as she walked into the From East To West restaurant with Randy that Saturday, thinking that she was putting Randy's parents at a terrible risk by meeting them for lunch. Randy, however, had reminded her that they weren't necessarily in any more danger than any of Mary Jane's other loved ones, and that she couldn't let her fear of what Jack might do take over her life.

Mary Jane knew that Randy was right, but she was also perceptive enough to notice the anger and worry that still occasionally crossed his face whenever he brought the subject up, try as he might to hide it.

Isaiah and Louise Robertson were already waiting for them at the table they'd reserved. They stood up to greet Randy and Mary Jane, hugging their son tightly and welcoming Mary Jane with heartfelt handshakes. They didn't have long to wait before a server came and took their orders, bringing them some water as well.

"It's so nice to see you again, honey," Louise Robertson said warmly once the server had left. "How's the school year going?"

"Pretty well," Randy assured her. "Studying for midterms has been a real grind, though."

"How about work?" Isaiah asked. "Are they treating you alright over there?"

"Of course they are," Randy nodded. "I'm thinking about quitting, though-there's a position opening up at HABQ-FM, and Derrick Deja says he might be able to get me the inside track there."

"That's great!" Mary Jane said brightly. "What would you be doing there?"

"Probably helping with sorting the records, preparing news bulletins for their _Better In the Dark _show, stuff like that," Randy grinned. "It'll pay better than the warehouse, too."

"Obviously," Isaiah nodded. "How about you, Mary Jane? Where are you working?"

"I'm…not working right now," Mary Jane said, slightly awkwardly. "I wanted to concentrate on my studies this semester."

Isaiah and Louise both seemed to frown for a moment. Mary Jane winced inwardly, wondering if she'd just said the wrong thing.

"And what are you studying?" Louise asked.

"Drama," Mary Jane replied. "I'm hoping to become an actress, or a model!" she continued.

"An…actress?" Louise rubbed her chin. "And why's that?"

"I've always loved the thrill of performing," Mary Jane explained, her eyes lighting up. "I really enjoy stepping into new roles and entertaining the audience. Every role is something different, so I'm always trying or doing something new!"

"So what kinds of roles have you gotten?" Louise asked.

"Well, I've done some commercials for Kingsley Cosmetics," Mary Jane replied, "and I also starred in Derrick Deja's production of _The Wiz. _I was also one of the dancers in the tap video Randy did last year for one of his classes, and I'm going to be doing a photoshoot for a new line of socks that Vaughn-Pope Cosmetics is going to produce."

"A…new line of socks?" Isaiah intervened, a disapproving tone in his voice.

"Well…yeah," Mary Jane replied, caught somewhat off guard as Randy stared in confusion at his father. "I wear them for the photoshoot, and-"

"So you're using your looks to sell them," Isaiah frowned, as Louise followed suit.

"Well…I…" Mary Jane trailed off, not sure where this was going. She looked back at Randy, who only blinked at his parents in surprise.

"It's not a big deal, Dad," Randy tried to intervene.

"It doesn't bother you?" Louise raised an eyebrow.

"No," Randy blinked in surprise as Mary Jane's stomach turned in a knot. "Why would it?"

Isaiah and Louise looked at one another, the looks of disapproval on their faces all too clear. Louise was about to say something else, but the waiter arrived with their food. They ate in silence for about a minute, before Louise spoke up again.

"So, is that what you're planning to do for a career?" Louise asked Mary Jane, more pointedly this time. "Being an actress or a model?"

"Yes…" Mary Jane trailed off, now on edge and wondering where Louise was going with this.

"Is that really a steady career, though?" Louise asked her pointedly. "How much of a living are you going to make from that?"

"It's not about the money!" Mary Jane replied, more heatedly than she'd intended to. "It's something I love to do!"

Randy's parents both frowned at this, even as Randy looked from them to Mary Jane and back. They ate in an awkward silence for several minutes, before Isaiah spoke again.

"Well, that's certainly interesting to hear," Isaiah said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I'm glad you were able to join us for lunch, Randy. It was so nice to see you again."

"I'm really happy to see you too," Randy replied, doing his best to smile despite how awkward he was feeling. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"A few more days," Louise smiled back. "Maybe we can go to dinner again, or catch a play, or something? You know, just the three of us."

Mary Jane knew what that meant, and sat in silence as Isaiah and Louise paid the check and said goodbye to Randy, giving him another hug on the way.

* * *

"Listen, Mary Jane…" Randy trailed off as he approached her, trying to figure out what to say. "I…"

"…You don't need to say anything," Mary Jane muttered to him as she put on her jacket. "It's alright."

"No, it isn't," Randy insisted, grabbing her by the arm as she tried to walk past him. "I'm sorry about what Mom and Dad said. I never expected them to-"

"I just said, it's alright!" Mary Jane insisted, knocking his hand away. "Look, you don't need to defend your parents-they're just concerned about you, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Randy trailed off again, not sure of what to say.

"It's not that bad, Randy," Mary Jane replied again, her face now turning red as she tried to keep her rising anger and frustration under control. "Now, please…will you just drop it?"

Randy winced as he saw Mary Jane shaking again, being uncomfortably reminded of the way she'd reacted after Jack O' Lantern had been threatening her.

"Here, let me walk you-" he tried to put his arm around Mary Jane.

In response, Mary Jane just marched out of the restaurant without waiting for Randy, not looking back as she turned and continued up the sidewalk.

* * *

J. Jonah Jameson never seemed to change. For almost sixty years, he had sported the same military crew cut, worn the same toothbrush moustache, smoked the same thick cigars and dressed in the same kind of rumpled but well-tailored suits that were his trademark. About all that seemed to change about him was his hair, which had become a solid iron gray, and his voice, which had become louder and more expressive even despite his being over 81 years old.

As publisher, editor-in-chief, owner and sole stockholder of the _Daily Bugle, _Jameson had made a name for himself over the years with his passionate fights on behalf of causes ranging from desegregation and the civil rights movement to smaller government to battles against political corruption and organized crime to his opposition to Communism to his passionate support of mutant rights. For the last ten years, he had also been known as one of the fiercest critics of masked superheroes, opposing what he considered their unaccountable vigilantism and claiming that they should be registered and held accountable if they were going to hide their identities when they fought crime.

Today Jameson was meeting in his office with a man barely a third his age, who was now advocating a cause that Jameson himself had apparently long been calling for. The young Hispanic man was named Vincent Gonzalez, who had first become famous for organizing an online hate campaign against Spider-Woman after his sister had been murdered by one of Spider-Woman's enemies, the electrically-charged stalker who called himself Supercharger. From there, he had developed his hate campaign into a larger advocacy group, Citizens for a Mask-Free City. Intrigued by Gonzalez's request for a meeting, Jameson had decided to humor him and meet him in his office.

"Alright kid," Jameson began before Vincent had even sat down in his chair, lighting up a cigar as he did so, "just what do you think you can do for me?"

"We're kindred spirits, Mr. Jameson," Vincent explained, caught somewhat off-guard by Jameson's bluntness. "My organization wants to see this city as free of superheroes as you do."

"You do, huh?" Jameson replied, raising an eyebrow as he blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "And what do you think these heroes should do?"

"We…think that they should be registered with the government, like you've been calling for in your editorials," Vincent said, warming to his subject as he saw Jameson's eyes light up. "Just like the mutants, and everyone else with superpowers!"

"You do realize that I spearheaded _Jameson v. Kelly, _right?" Jameson pointed out, before taking another drag on his cigar. "The case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, and got the Mutant Registration Act declared unconstitutional?"

"Of course I did," Vincent lied, just barely managing to avoid stammering nervously. "That's something some of Citizens For A Mask-Free New York have proposed, although I don't agree with it myself. That's one of our policies that I think, in fact, we should be reviewing," he lied again.

"Fair enough," Jameson nodded. "I'm always up for a healthy debate. Now then, how can the _Bugle _help you?"

"It's how we can help each other, Mr. Jameson," Vincent smiled. "We can provide additional voices and weight to your own anti-superhero campaign. Our press releases, combined with your editorials, will help open the public's eyes to the danger these superheroes face!"

Jameson thought on that for several minutes, finishing and then stubbing out his cigar as Vincent awaited his response.

"I have to admit, I'm interested," Jameson finished. "Tell you what-if you can bring me something good in the next day or two, especially if it's about Spider-Man or Spider-Woman, I'll give it top billing! Like you said, I want those masked freaks off the streets just as much as you do!"

"Much appreciated, Mr. Jameson," Vincent replied, shaking hands with Jameson as he rose up and left the office.

Jameson remained sitting alone in his office for several minutes, lighting and smoking his next cigar before he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Wagner, get in here!" he ordered the person on the other end, before hanging up. Several seconds passed before a flash of black and red light seemed to come out of nowhere, along with a loud BAMF sound. Emerging from the light was a bizarre-looking man with midnight blue skin, pointed elfin ears, strangely shaped three-finger hands, three-toed feet and a pointed tail protruding from the back of his pants.

First hired by the _Daily Bugle _because his teleporting powers allowed him to quickly ferry documents around the building and transport staff members where they needed to be, the mutant Kurt Wagner had worked his way up from being a lowly office boy to the newspaper's political editor through his hard work and journalistic skills. He had been promoted to his new position last year after breaking a story that revealed how Senator Robert Kelly had been accepting campaign contributions from anti-mutant hate groups, and he was eager to build on his past success.

"Yes, Mr. Jameson?" Wagner asked.

"What's the status of the new Kelly story?" Jameson demanded, referring to a new investigation Jameson had the _Bugle_ launch about Senator Kelly's attempts to revive his failing chances at reelection by advocating a new Superhuman Registration Act that would go over and above the old Mutant Registration Act. Kelly hoped to capitalize on the widespread public anger people were feeling about the seemingly endless cycle of supervillains being defeated and arrested, only to escape and cause more suffering before being arrested and escaping to start the whole process all over again.

"We're still working on it," Wagner replied.

"You do that," Jameson nodded. "In the meantime, get somebody investigating Citizens For A Mask-Free America. They want to bring back registration."

Saying that word to a mutant like Wagner had exactly the effect Jameson expected. Wagner's golden eyes flared angrily, and he teleported away to carry out Jameson's directions.

Jameson only smirked to himself. If Vincent Gonzalez and his little troupe of mask-haters really did support registering all superhumans, then Jameson would crush them. Apparently Vincent hadn't read his editorials carefully enough-Jameson had consistently supported registration, but only registration of those individuals, superpowered or not, who wanted to act as superheroes. If other mutants and super-powered people didn't want to fight or commit crimes, then Jameson didn't consider it any of his business what they did.

That said, there was nothing that said Jameson couldn't make good use of any extra publicity the group would be able to drum up, particularly if it furthered the cause of superhero registration…

If any of Jameson's longtime friends or employees had been in the room when he smiled, they would have recognized the particular smile on Jameson's face as one that never boded well for whoever it was that Jameson was thinking about.

* * *

The next day was a bright Sunday afternoon, the sun reflecting brilliantly off the snow that continued to cover New York like a blanket. It was surprisingly warm out, and once she'd completed her homework Mary Jane decided to do some webswinging as Spider-Woman, needing both to clear her head and to get out of the house in case Randy decided to call her.

She was still extremely upset over what had happened at lunch yesterday with Randy's parents, particularly after the way she'd already been bluntly threatened by Ben Reilly's father Andrew during the brief time that she'd been dating him. Mary Jane couldn't figure out why, but she instinctively saw just how much Randy's parents disliked her. Her mind was whirling with the thoughts of what it might mean for her relationship with Randy, and what she could possibly do about it, if anything.

That wasn't the only thing on her mind, of course.

_Maybe it's for the best, _she realized briefly. _If Randy and his parents don't get too close to me, then maybe Jack O' Lantern won't hurt them…but then what about Mom and the rest of my family? Shouldn't I be worried about __**them, **__too? And why aren't I?_

Guilt and shame now joined frustration in her mind.

_But I love Randy, _she continued, a sudden burst of anger in her mind as she thought of it. _I can't push him away from me because of that sick freak Jack O' Lantern! And why shouldn't I be able to enjoy my relationship with him? _she realized. _After everything I've been through, I deserve it!_

She was distracted from her reverie in mid-swing as she saw a bright flash of light and the sounds of an explosion out of the corner of her eye. Whirling around in alarm, she saw the trail of a ball of light entering into the lavish Libertine Restaurant, as well as distant screams. She also felt her spider-senses tingling, realizing that someone she had marked with her special tracking pheromones was in an urgent situation that she knew she would be interested in.

Landing expertly on the building she was swinging on, the spectacular Spider-Woman spun another web and swung back in the direction of the Libertine, determined to put an end to whatever trouble was going on there. She had an idea of who was behind it, and she was more than eager for another round with him.

* * *

Maureen Daniels-Arvad was having the time of her life. Previously, she'd been the husband of one Jackson Arvad, a prominent Roxxon scientist who'd become known both for his scientific brilliance and his ruthlessness in office politics, outmaneuvering his colleagues to get the promotions and research grants they sought. More particularly, he was also known for his obsessive work ethic and his willingness to leave Maureen sitting at home alone in the evenings while he worked on his latest projects. While Maureen had appreciated the extra money Jackson was making, she had become increasingly frustrated with his willingness to leave her alone on short notice, his bad temper and his infuriatingly self-righteous attitude.

Jackson's refusal to accompany her on a date in favor of a proton acceleration experiment, one that had caused the deaths of several of his coworkers, had been the last straw for Maureen. She had finally divorced and left him for Hugh Jones, a coworker that Jackson had gotten demoted and kicked out of his department after coveting his position. To her disgust, Jackson had insisted on suing Roxxon for false termination despite the fact that the accident was his fault, and he'd bankrupted himself when he'd lost his lawsuits and when the families of the people he'd killed had sued him for damages.

Today, though, none of that mattered to Maureen. Today was her birthday, and Hugh was taking her to lunch at the Libertine Restaurant to celebrate. One of the reasons Maureen had originally stuck with Jackson despite his constantly blowing her off was because of how he'd occasionally spoiled her with the extra money he was making, but eventually even that couldn't convince her to stay with him.

"How is it?" Hugh asked her as she sipped her wine. Once again, he'd reflected on how lucky he was, getting Jackson Arvad's ex-wife and his old position at Roxxon back after he'd been screwed over by Jackson, while Jackson himself was now a bankrupted, disgraced criminal.

"It's wonderful," Maureen sighed. "I really love the book, too," she grinned, referring to the copy of the Prose Eddathat Hugh had gotten her as a gift. Maureen loved mythology and folk-tales, and the legends recounted by the Prose Edda, a book first published in Iceland in the 1220s, were among her favorites.

"Nothing's too good for you," Hugh smiled back. "In fact…how long have we been dating now?" he asked her. "A year? Nine months?"

"Ten, actually," Maureen corrected him. "Why do you ask?"

"Because there's something I want to ask you," Hugh said, reaching into his pocket. "I want to ask you…will you marry me?" he asked her, opening the case he had retrieved and displaying the diamond ring within it.

Maureen was struck speechless for a moment, nearly overwhelmed with joy. She had been wondering if Hugh would ever ask her to do it, and now that he finally had she wasn't sure what to say.

"Oh, Hugh," she finally breathed. "I…I…"

Maureen never got to finish her sentence, as a loud shattering sound and a flash of light caught the attention of everyone in the dining area. People looked up and screamed at the bright ball of golden light that had broken into the restaurant. They looked on, stunned, as the golden sphere gradually changed its shape and color until it resembled a man clad in a green bodysuit with a yellow starburst on the chest, a man with pure white eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair. Random motes of golden light danced around him, giving him a vaguely otherworldly appearance.

Maureen fell back with a scream and Hugh shouted in alarm, both of them recognizing the man as Jackson Arvad, Maureen's vindictive ex-husband, but more commonly known as the supervillain Will O' the Wisp.

"Well now, isn't this a touching ceremony?" he said mockingly, noting the wedding band Hugh had dropped on the table. "And to think-if I hadn't gotten here in time, I would have missed it!" he sneered, as he began to emanate a bright golden light. The screaming and panicking people all around him, except for Hugh and Maureen, were suddenly frozen, hypnotized by the light into a trance.

"J-J-Jackson…" Maureen gasped as she got to her feet. "P-please, don't…"

"Damn you, Arvad!" Hugh shouted as he charged at Will O' the Wisp with his steak knife. Turning to look at him with a grin, Will O' the Wisp shifted the molecules of his body, letting Hugh's knife pass through him harmlessly. As Hugh withdrew the knife, the Wisp solidified himself once again and threw a vicious punch, smashing Hugh in the face and sending him flying back to crash on the table. Rolling off the table, Hugh slumped to the floor as Maureen screamed again. As Hugh staggered to his feet, the Wisp released another bright light, hypnotizing Hugh and paralyzing him on the spot.

"He really loves you, doesn't he?" the Wisp glared at Maureen, who was now paralyzed with fear even without the Wisp's hypnosis. "Love makes men do stupid things. I know that better than anyone, you stupid two-timing bitch!" he shouted, his voice rising in anger.

Maureen tried to say something, anything, but before she or the Wisp could say anything else the Wisp collapsed to the ground, struck down from behind by what looked like a blast of greenish energy. As the Wisp collapsed, Maureen saw another person entering the restaurant through the hole the Wisp had smashed, a younger woman with the long dark hair and the distinctive red and gold costume of the spectacular Spider-Woman.

"Run!" Spider-Woman shouted at Maureen, and she prepared to do just that, but the Wisp recovered faster than either of them expected. Shifting back into a glowing ball of light, he emitted another hypnotic light that caught Maureen dead on and paralyzed her, as well. Rising up into the air, he dodged around Spider-Woman's next sting blast and rushed down at her, forcing her to dodge his charging attack.

"It's you! It's always you!" the Wisp shouted in a rage at Spider-Woman, weaving between the paralyzed restaurant customers so Spider-Woman couldn't get a clear shot at him. "But not this time!" he shouted in a rage, as he began emitting another bright light.

To Spider-Woman's horror, many of the customers in the restaurant reacted to the Wisp's hypnotic command and began attacking her as a group. Some of them slashed at her with steak knives, others wielded plates or chairs. Spider-Woman was completely surrounded, and couldn't stop some of them from injuring her as she began subduing her attackers with her webbing. She didn't dare physically fight back, and by the time it ended Spider-Woman was marked with several bloody cuts and bruises from their attacks.

Gasping in pain, Spider-Woman tried to focus her spider-senses to find the Wisp, but she was too late as a bright light flooded the room. The Wisp had taken over the room's electrical system, and had commanded all the lights in the room to flash brightly, dazzling Spider-Woman and leaving her blinded. Blinking her eyes to try and dispel the colored spots dancing in her vision, Spider-Woman couldn't react in time as the Wisp emerged from the electrical system and slammed her head on, making his molecules as hard and dense as stone. Sent flying through the air to crash headlong on a table, Spider-Woman just barely dodged the Wisp's next charge, rolling off the table and coming to her feet. As the Wisp turned around for another charge, Spider-Woman shot a double blast of her energy stings, disrupting his charge and forcing him back to his human form. Groaning in pain, the Wisp staggered as Spider-Woman blasted him again with one hand and used the other to entangle him in webbing.

"I think you said something about it not being this time?" Spider-Woman pointed out calmly.

In response, the Wisp simply phased through her webbing and came at Spider-Woman again, this time flashing his hypnotic lights in an attempt to paralyze her. Knowing what was coming, Spider-Woman shielded her eyes, but that was all the opportunity the Wisp needed before he charged in, and phased partway through her. He then solidified the molecules that were still outside his body, reforming his arms. One of the arms lashed out at Spider-Woman, grabbing her neck and choking her, while the other began repeatedly punching her in the face, strengthened by the Wisp to his maximum density and strength.

Gasping for breath, Spider-Woman staggered as she tried to block the punches, but the Wisp stayed with her, pressing the assault. She shifted one hand to trying to take the Wisp's hand off her windpipe, while using the other to block the Wisp's punches, but to her horror she found that at his maximum density the Wisp was stronger than she was. Dizzied from the strangulation and the punches, Spider-Woman's strength faded and it was all she could do to stand. Seizing the opportunity, the Wisp fully resumed his human form, picked up the staggering Spider-Woman and brutally threw her into the far wall. Slamming into the wall with a sickening crash, Spider-Woman slumped to the floor as the Wisp laughed out loud.

Turning back to the people he had hypnotized, the Wisp looked around until he saw Maureen and Hugh. Focusing his powers, he ordered them to approach him, each of them carrying a steak knife in his or her hand.

The Wisp had Maureen and Hugh face one another, and begin their grim work as he watched eagerly.

* * *

Spider-Woman's entire body was throbbing with pain as she regained consciousness several minutes later. She had to grab the wall with her spider-grip as she staggered to her feet, as the wave of dizziness that came over her nearly caused her to collapse once again. Hearing the horrified screams and shouts, she slowly made her way over to where the restaurant customers were still tangled in her webbing.

They weren't what made Spider-Woman want to collapse in horror all over again, though. The sight that sent chills down Spider-Woman's spine was the corpses of Maureen Daniels-Arvad and Hugh Jones, each of whom had killed the other by slashing each others' throats with their steak knives. For several long moments, Spider-Woman couldn't hear the angry, accusing shouts coming from the people who were still entangled in her webbing.

"This is all your fault!"

"You let them die!"

"What kind of hero are you?"

Looking up and around, Spider-Woman felt sick, realizing just what her failure today had cost these two innocent people.

"Where's Will O' the Wisp?" she asked in horror.

"He's gone, no thanks to you!" one of the customers shouted.

"That Vincent Gonzalez guy was right about you!" another of the customers shouted. "You're just as bad as the criminals!"

"Here, let me get that off of you," Spider-Woman breathed as she stepped towards one of the entangled customers.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" the man yelled, recoiling from her touch. "You're going to pay for this, you bitch!"

Consumed with guilt and anger at herself, Spider-Woman only felt like she could obey. Trying to hold back her tears, she slowly turned and left, the peoples' accusing shouts and cries following her out.

* * *

In the nearly fifteen months since she'd become Spider-Woman, Mary Jane had learned how to use her acting skills to keep her inner emotions from showing. She managed to conceal her injuries, keep up with her homework and eat dinner with her family, but her mind was filled with thoughts of the whole disastrous weekend.

When Monday morning came, the point was brutally driven home by the _Daily Bugle's _headline, which read **SPIDER-WOMAN CAUGHT IN HER OWN WEB, **displaying the angry people who were photographed still entangled in her webbing. It further described the entire murderous incident, including Spider-Woman's failure to stop Will O' the Wisp, culminating in a quote from Vincent Gonzalez.

"_This just shows what kind of a hero Spider-Woman really is," Gonzalez was quoted as saying. "She let these innocent people be killed on her watch! She's no better than the Wisp!" _

Mary Jane felt sick to her stomach, to the point where it was all she could do to avoid going to vomit in the sink.

She managed to keep a straight face, but she felt a piercing migraine growing inside her head.

She tried to remind herself, over and over again, of the good she'd done as Spider-Woman, but Vincent Gonzalez's words continued to echo in her mind and more than ever she wondered if he was right.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane tries to somehow patch things up with Randy, even as she confides in her mother about her problems. Even as she does this, she tries to get her modelling career back on track by appearing in Desiree Vaughn-Pope's new ad campaign. Unfortunately, Mary Jane's biggest problems may be yet to come, as Jack O' Lantern prepares to take things to the next level in his elaborate revenge plot on Spider-Woman! All this and more in _Spider-Woman Halloween Special #2: A Day In The Life!_)


	50. A Day In The Life

Mary Jane Watson yawned wearily as she woke up, rubbing her eyes as she took a deep breath to get out of bed. Her sleep last night hadn't gotten much better. In between dreaming about her failure to stop Will O' the Wisp from murdering his ex-wife and her new husband, Mary Jane had dreamt about the problems she'd run into in her relationship with her boyfriend Randy Robertson and his family. Those dreams were also interspersed with images of the monster who'd begun the nightmares in the first place, the psychopathic costumed killer who called himself Jack O' Lantern.

Mary Jane showered and dressed before coming downstairs to eat breakfast with the rest of her family. She was upbeat as she talked about school with her cousin Kristy Watson, talked with her Aunt Anna about what she would cook for dinner, and talked to her mother Maddie about their plans for the evening. From there, she made her way to the subway station and then to Empire State University, where she began the day's classes.

Everything seemed normal on the outside for Mary Jane, and for the most part she felt quite normal as well, thinking about her grades, her relationship with Randy, her friendships with Liz Allan, Kitty Pryde and the rest of her friends, and what she could expect with the new modeling job she got with Vaughn-Pope Cosmetics.

Try as she might, however, Mary Jane could never quite forget about Jack O' Lantern. Somehow he always knew where she was, following her every movement and her every action.

She was determined not to let it prevent her from living her life, but it continued to stick with her.

* * *

Steven Mark Levins woke up with a serene smile, eagerly embracing the new day that lay before him. Ever since he'd escaped from prison in the massive jailbreak organized by the Green Goblin and the Spot, Levins felt as if he had a new lease on life. Thrilled by the opportunity to return to the slaughter, torture and murder that had given his life meaning in the first place, he'd been diligently preparing for his return to supervillainy.

Now, in the hidden backup lair he'd constructed in case he was ever captured, Levins carefully reviewed his agenda for the next several days. He had a lot of preparations to make before he would be ready to proceed to the next step of his plan to ruin the life of Mary Jane Watson, alias the spectacular Spider-Woman, and retake his place as head of the Tomorrow Legion supervillain cartel.

Levins wasn't sure if he'd ever been happier in all his life. More than anything, he felt like he was free, free to embrace the truth of who he was, free to resume his destructive, killing ways. The only thing that undermined his bliss was the thought of Spider-Woman, with whom he'd repeatedly clashed as Jack O' Lantern. Spider-Woman was the reason Levins had originally been arrested and sent to prison, and before that she'd continually interfered with his fun.

For all that Levins was sincerely enjoying himself, he couldn't quite shake his thought of Spider-Woman, and the boiling rage it stirred within him.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #2

"A DAY IN THE LIFE"

* * *

"Hey, sweetie!" Maddie Watson greeted her daughter as Mary Jane came home later that afternoon. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good, Mom," Mary Jane smiled, although the smile was too strained for Maddie's liking.

"…What's wrong, honey?" Maddie asked, immediately concerned.

Mary Jane opened her mouth to speak briefly, and then seemed to think better of it. To Maddie, it seemed like she was trying to decide whether to say anything or not, until it was clear Mary Jane came to a decision.

"It has to do with my being Spider-Woman," Mary Jane said, as she took off her jacket and boots and sat down with Maddie on the couch. She then told Maddie about her failure to stop Will O' the Wisp from murdering his ex-wife and her new husband, the vitriolic criticism Vincent Gonzalez had thrown at her after the Wisp's murders, and the harassing phone call she'd gotten from Jack O' Lantern, warning her that he always knew where she was and that he could strike at any of her loved ones.

"…I almost don't know what to think anymore," Mary Jane shook her head. "I mean, I remember everything you've told me, and Grandpa Lieber told me, about all the good I've done and the people I've helped, but then I remember all the times I failed and how it'll be my fault if Jack does anything to harm you or anyone else I care about. And then I remember my responsibilities to myself and how I pushed myself too hard, but then I get ashamed of myself for feeling selfish and-" she began babbling, before Maddie put a finger on her lips to stop her.

"You're still blaming yourself for all this, aren't you?" Maddie told her.

"…What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked, her guilt turning to confusion.

"When your father…did what he did to me," Maddie explained, choosing her words carefully, "I felt like it was my fault, all of it. I kept trying to tell myself that what he was doing was wrong, but then I started feeling guilty, like I was letting him down. I felt ashamed of myself, like I wasn't being a good enough wife to him. Whenever I got angry at what he was doing to me, I felt like I was being selfish."

Mary Jane sat silently for a moment as she took in what Maddie was saying.

"But that was different," she protested. "Jack O' Lantern and the others-"

"It's not different at all," Maddie insisted. "People like Will O' the Wisp and Jack O' Lantern made their own choices long before you ever got involved, Mary Jane. The only thing you're doing is trying to stop them, which is exactly what you're supposed to be doing!"

"But I failed to stop them," Mary Jane pointed out. "Jack O' Lantern killed Dad, and-"

"-and you succeeded in saving me, Kristy, your Aunt Anna and a bunch of other people," Maddie reminded her. "What about all those sixty people that Jack O' Lantern would have murdered? Wasn't Anna one of them?"

"But-" Mary Jane began.

"-what about Vincent Gonzalez?" Maddie scoffed. "Who cares? At least you're out there trying to help people! When was the last time this Gonzalez character ever did anything like that? Besides, how was it your fault that Supercharger was insane?" she said in disgust, her voice rising.

Mary Jane only blinked at the intensity in her mother's voice.

"Are…" she trailed off, not sure of what to say.

"I'm just fed up with you being put through all this crap by people like Gonzalez and those supervillain freaks," Maddie explained, an intense light in her eyes, "and I can't stand seeing you put yourself through the same crap that I did to myself when I was with your father. Please don't make the same mistake I did, Mary Jane-you deserve better than that."

Mary Jane just sat there for several moments as she let her mother's words sink in. She'd been trying to tell herself the same things over and over again, but for some reason she'd never managed to fully convince herself.

"Thanks, Mom," she smiled up at her mother, as her eyes sparkled with renewed vigor.

"Anytime, honey," Maddie reassured her, brushing back a lock of Mary Jane's hair that was dangling in front of her face.

* * *

Steven Mark Levins never felt more comfortable than when he was wearing his ghoulish Jack O' Lantern costume. The costume was a suit of dark-green body armor, with a lighter green chest plate that was crafted to look as if it was covered in tiny skulls, and lighter green gauntlets and boots that resembled grisly skeletal limbs. The costume was topped off by the helmet that gave Jack O' Lantern his name, a helmet crafted to look like an oversized pumpkin with a leering demonic face carved into it. The pumpkin helmet was also illuminated with holographic fires that gave Jack O' Lantern a hellish, demonic appearance.

Levins had taken to insisting that other people call him Jack O' Lantern, preferring his supervillain codename to his given birth name. Ever since he'd arrived at his hidden base, he'd begun wearing his costumes all the time, only removing it to sleep.

Jack O' Lantern was resting comfortably on a sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him. The room was lit only by the hellish glow of his pumpkin helmet's holographic fires and the light from the television. Jack was watching the original _Halloween, _one of his all-time favorite movies. The movie was just getting to the best part-when Michael Myers' psychiatrist described just what he was.

As the psychiatrist carried on his description, Jack O' Lantern began to laugh. His hysterical, insane cackling overpowered the sound of the television, and soon echoed throughout his lair.

Jack O' Lantern laughed like that a lot.

He loved the way the laughter made him feel.

* * *

Mary Jane's knock at the door of the Parker residence the next day was met by Ben Parker, uncle to Peter Parker. Ben hadn't changed much since the last time Mary Jane saw him, a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a kindly paternal manner about him. Aside from Maddie and Randy, Ben and his nephew Peter were the only people who knew about Mary Jane's secret identity as Spider-Woman. Mary Jane had learned Peter's secret identity as the amazing Spider-Man after he'd been badly injured in a fight against the mutant gangbangers who called themselves the Nasty Boys, and Mary Jane had in turned revealed herself to the Parkers after she brought Peter back to his house and treated his injuries.

"How are things going today, sweetie?" Ben asked Mary Jane as they hugged briefly. After Peter's parents had died in a tragic accident, Ben had taken the young boy in and raised him as his own son. He'd provided Mary Jane with good fatherly advice in the past as well, something for which Mary Jane was quite grateful.

"They're going," Mary Jane said with a half-smile as he let her into the house. "Boys, grades, supervillains, the usual stuff."

"I can imagine," Ben chuckled, by now used to the foibles of young superheroes. "Were you looking for Peter?"

"Yeah, I was," Mary Jane nodded. "Is he around?"

"Yes, he's upstairs," Ben replied. He turned to call out to Peter, but the perceptive Mary Jane had already noticed the look in his eyes and caught him by the arm.

"What happened with Peter?" Mary Jane asked in concern.

"It's…" Ben trailed off.

"It's the Green Goblin, isn't it?" Mary Jane noted. Once before, after the Goblin had nearly murdered Peter's girlfriend Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane had seen how Peter was struggling with his anger. Although he'd successfully saved Gwen and she'd made a full recovery, Peter had had difficulties coping with his rage at the Green Goblin.

Peter himself came down the stairs, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw Mary Jane and Ben conversing.

"Hi MJ," he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about the Goblin," Mary Jane began, "and-"

"That's my business," Peter said calmly, casting an annoyed look at Ben, "and you don't need to worry about it. I'm fine, really."

"Don't get mad at your uncle," Mary Jane reproached him. "He only told me because I figured it out for myself. Are you really sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I am," Peter explained, seeming to get a little exasperated. "Is that the only reason you stopped by?"

"No," Mary Jane shook her head. "I was wondering if you could help me with something at the _Daily Bugle._"

"The _Daily Bugle?_" Peter asked in surprise as they sat down with Ben at the table and poured some coffee. "What do you want there?"

Mary Jane proceeded to explain to Peter about the bullying Marie-Ange Colbert had experienced at Midtown High, Marie-Ange's attempts to gain revenge on her tormentors with her mutant powers as the costumed villain Tarot, Mary Jane's battles with Tarot as Spider-Woman, Marie-Ange's arrest and efforts to turn her life around in prison, and the abuse she was suffering from the other inmates. Peter frowned sympathetically as he listened, recalling all too clearly the bullying and abuse he himself had suffered at Midtown when he was in high school.

"She's being abused because of the anti-mutant backlash that's coming from all the supervillain incidents we've seen over the last couple of years," Mary Jane concluded.

"And people blame mutants even when most of these criminals aren't mutants to begin with," Peter spat in disgust. "Typical. But how can I help you with the _Daily Bugle?_"

"I heard that this J. Jonah Jameson person is really into defending mutant rights," Mary Jane explained. "Since it's mutant prisoners that are suffering the abuse, maybe Jameson could give it some media attention? I was hoping maybe you could introduce me to him?" she asked hesitantly.

Peter thought on that for several minutes, a pensive look on his face as he considered everything Mary Jane had told him and how he thought Jameson would react to the abuse of mutant convicts in the prison system.

"…You know, it might just be worth it," he finally nodded. "Jameson's an asshole, but he's definitely on the side of mutant rights. He might be more willing to listen if we both go to see him-when do you have some free time?"

"Would Monday afternoon work?" Mary Jane asked.

"You bet," Peter nodded. "You'd better brace yourself, though-Jameson's like an active volcano when he gets going."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Mary Jane assured him as she got up to leave. "Compared to some of the villains we fight, he sounds like a pussycat."

They laughed at that before Mary Jane pulled on her jacket, hugged Peter and Ben briefly, and left.

Mary Jane could only hope that this would be enough to help Marie-Ange and the rest of the mutant inmates at Riker's Island, especially since she wasn't sure what else she could do to help Marie-Ange.

* * *

"They're better than anything you can get from the Tinkerer or the Fixer," Mysterio bragged to Jack O' Lantern as Jack examined the cube-shaped device. "The thing is that I'm a specialist. Those other guys are just generalists-they try to be everything to everyone!"

Jack O' Lantern mostly ignored Mysterio's prattling as he carefully examined the device. Hardly bigger than a six-sided die, Mysterio claimed that the device would act as a perfect image transducer, allowing the user to disguise himself with almost any combination of features he wanted-hair color, eye color, skin color, height, weight, clothing and everything in between. From everything Jack could tell, the device would live up to its hype. While Mysterio was pompous and arrogant, Jack knew that most of that came from his being a showman who wanted to build up the hype for his work.

And right now, Mysterio's work was what Jack needed for the next part of his plan to work. With his appearance now common knowledge in the media, Jack needed a way to get out and about in public without being noticed unless he wanted to be. It was the classic rule of supervillainy-sometimes there was an advantage in making yourself visible, but on other occasions it was necessary to remain unnoticed.

Jack had already preprogrammed the device with the appearance he wanted, and after attaching it to his belt pushed the button. Almost instantly, the ghoulish pumpkin-headed monster was replaced by a nondescript man in his mid-thirties with thinning blonde hair and dull grey eyes. He wore a plain jacket, blue jeans and worn penny loafers, the sort of attire that allowed him to blend into the crowd.

* * *

The car was a solid piece of Detroit iron, a classic piece of American engineering and an appropriate symbol for Mary Jane's first modeling shoot of the day. She had been hired as a model by Desiree Vaughn-Pope, head of Vaughn-Pope Cosmetics, to help market a new line of thigh-high sports socks based off the colors of the various NFL teams. Each NFL team had its own pattern, Vaughn-Pope had assigned Mary Jane to market the socks of the Detroit Lions. She was reclining on the hood of the car, wearing a white camisole top and deep blue boy shorts, her shapely legs clad in a pair of deep blue socks with white stripes on top that went over her knees and up to her thighs. Mary Jane had a flirty, winking expression on her face, her eyes focused invitingly on the camera and framed nicely by her perfect white smile.

The shoot continued throughout the day, with Mary Jane wearing sexy attire or posing with props that matched the themes of the city or franchise she was modeling for. She wore a revealing Revolutionary War uniform for the New England Patriots, a Statue of Liberty costume for the New York Giants and pretended to ride a large stuffed ram for the St. Louis Rams. In every case, the poses were designed to focus attention to the socks Mary Jane was wearing.

Strangely enough, Jack O' Lantern and all her other problems were the furthest things from Mary Jane's mind as she posed for the camera. All she could think of at that moment was the role she'd assumed, leaving everything else behind as she performed. It was always like that for Mary Jane, whether she was on stage or in a modeling session, as she fully embraced the role and made it her own.

* * *

Jack O' Lantern only laughed as he worked at his computer, reading about the exploits of Vincent Gonzalez and his anti-superhero group, Citizens For A Mask-Free America. He'd done some digging into Gonzalez's background, and had gotten a kick out of the fact that the Gonzalez family had fallen apart after Vincent's sister Michelle had been murdered by the electrically charged supervillain stalker Supercharger. Michelle Gonzalez had run a Spider-Woman hate site, and Supercharger had murdered her in an attempt to impress Spider-Woman, who he had a deranged crush on. Her disgusted reaction had made him go even more insane than he already was, and he tried to kill her in revenge for "humiliating" him, as he saw it.

Vincent's online hate campaign against Spider-Woman had bemused Jack O' Lantern, particularly when he'd seen the disgusting comments the posters to Vincent's website had made about Spider-Woman, comments that they likely wouldn't have made about Spider-Man or Daredevil. Those comments made Jack O' Lantern wonder just how sincere Vincent really was, and whether he was making an effort to filter such people out of his movement.

Chances were that Vincent really didn't give a damn about what his group was supposedly preaching. All he really wanted was revenge on Spider-Woman, and he was apparently using her failures as propaganda to upset her and make her feel guilty.

Jack O' Lantern smirked at that insight, realizing that he could probably make good use of that.

* * *

"So tell me," Louise Robinson asked her son Randy as they had coffee after dinner, "how did you and Mary Jane hook up?"

"My friend Kitty Pryde introduced me to her," Randy explained, "when I was looking for dancers for that tap video I did last year. We acted in some of the same productions together, and things eventually just started to pick up from there…"

Louise didn't reply, simply picking up her coffee and staring into it as she swirled it.

"Are you sure she's really the right girl for you?" Louise finally asked her son.

"Of course she is," Randy said in confusion. "Why wouldn't she be?"

"Your father and I don't think she's the right kind of girl for you," Louise shook her head.

"Why not?" Randy asked in confusion.

"She wants to be an actress, doesn't she?" Louise asked him. "Just how much of a living can you really make at that, especially these days? Would she be able to contribute her fair share if you start living together, or would you be supporting her most of the time?"

"Well, Mary Jane does modeling work too," Randy replied.

"And do you really want your girlfriend, much less your wife, flaunting herself for money?" Louise frowned. "Just think about it, Randy-she'd be using her body to sell things. Is that the kind of person who'd really make a good wife?"

Randy wasn't sure to say about that.

"Mary Jane's not like that, Mom," he insisted, trying not to dwell on the fact that he and Mary Jane hadn't spoken since they'd met his parents for dinner earlier that week. "She put herself through hell trying to support her mother. That was what she did with a lot of the money she made."

Louise sipped her coffee in response, and Randy did the same, each weighing what the other had said.

"I know Mary Jane seems like a nice girl," Louise frowned, "and certainly much better than that awful Felicia Hardy," she said in disgust, "but why didn't things work out with Kitty? She was a lot more down-to-earth than Mary Jane."

"That's…yeah," Randy shook his head. "That was just a temporary thing, Mom-Kitty and I realized that we didn't really have much in common."

"If you say so," Louise sighed. "I just think that Kitty would have been a better pick for you, is all…"

* * *

Kitty Pryde tried to concentrate on her homework, but at the back of her mind she knew he was out there.

Her mother had been born Danielle Levins, and took Allan Pryde's name when she'd married him. Danielle had two siblings, a sister named Karen and a brother named Steven, who took pride in his middle name and preferred to be called Steven Mark. Steven Mark had never had any children of his own, instead interacting with Kitty, her cousin Ben Reilly, and the rest of his nieces and nephews as he watched them grow up.

Underneath that friendly, loving exterior a crazed, psychotic monster had lurked, a monster that now openly displayed his true nature with the demonic pumpkin mask he wore. Although he'd originally been defeated by the costumed heroine Spider-Woman, the man Kitty once knew as her Uncle Steve and who had become Jack O' Lantern had left a path of mass murder and destruction in his wake before he was brought to justice. Now, after the mass escape at Riker's Island Penitentiary, Jack O' Lantern was on the loose again, and God only knew what he was planning.

He was a monster, and he was her uncle.

The ugly memory of the _Daily Globe's _headline flashed across Kitty's mind, the headline arranged by the mutant terrorist Avalanche that publicly exposed Kitty's relationship with the killer.

The next thing Kitty remembered was the way her old dorm room had been trashed by anti-mutant racists, forcing her to leave the dorm and move in with Mary Jane.

* * *

Mary Jane smiled to herself as she returned home later that afternoon, thinking about the amount of money she'd received from Desiree Vaughn-Pope for the successful modeling shoot. Vaughn-Pope had warmly praised her for the quality of her work, and assured her that they were going to knock Kingsley Cosmetics and the rest of the competition out of the water with the spring ad campaign. They were sure to be a hit among NFL fans-the female fans would definitely want them, while many male fans were sure to buy them for their girlfriends or wives.

Looking around, she realized that neither Maddie, Aunt Anna or Kristy were home, and she had the place to herself. Shrugging her shoulders, Mary Jane decided to go upstairs and catch up on her studies before making some dinner.

Mary Jane's eyebrows shot up in surprise when she saw the brightly wrapped package on her bed. She couldn't imagine who it might have been from-was it something her mother or Aunt Anna had left? If so, why would they have done it? Was Mom trying to cheer her up after all the troubles she'd been having?

Opening the package, Mary Jane suddenly dropped it with a startled scream as the contents popped out at her. The package had contained a hideously grinning pumpkin head, which sprang out like a jack-in-the-box and bounced at the end of the coil it was attached to, cackling robotically as it did so. The pumpkin head's mouth widened, as a long, ugly pink tongue fell out of it and dangled from the pumpkin's head, bouncing back and forth in tune with the rest of the pumpkin.

_**I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, SPIDER-WOMAN! **_the message read, written in jagged, crooked letters.

Rage and horror filled Mary Jane's mind as she picked the thing up, angrily smashing the package to bits with her superhuman strength and destroying the remnants with her sting blasts, before throwing the shattered remains in the garbage. Her ears were still filled with the pumpkin head's laughter, now blending with the memories of the sick, depraved laughter of the package's creator, a laughter Mary Jane could still hear in her nightmares.

Mary Jane slumped down on her bed, trying with every bit of effort she could muster to hold back her tears and repress the angry scream she felt rising up inside her.

She tried, and she failed.

(_**Next Issue:**_ The effects of Jack O' Lantern's harrassment continue to take their toll on Mary Jane, even as she visits the _Daily Bugle _with Peter Parker and tries to get J. Jonah Jameson to take an interest in the plight of Marie-Ange Colbert and the other mutants being abused in prison. Meanwhile, Vincent Gonzalez continues to amp up his vendetta against Spider-Woman, even as Spider-Woman herself begins taking an interest in the beatings that his group is secretly perpetrating. As if all this wasn't enough for Mary Jane to deal with, the pyromaniacal Firebrand makes his return, as he attempts to murder his entire family! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #44: Firing Line!_)


	51. Firing Line

Mary Jane Watson yawned as she woke up, rubbing her eyes and brushing back her long, fire-red hair. Last night's sleep had been better, but only slightly, than the last several nights.

Jack O' Lantern, her worst enemy, had struck again last night, somehow managing to enter her house, her bedroom, and leave behind a twisted jack-in-the-box taunting her with the fact that he somehow knew where she was. It was just the latest part of Jack O' Lantern's harassment of her, harassment that was causing Mary Jane painful stress during the day and giving her horrible nightmares at night. It had begun with a disturbing phone call from Jack, letting her know that he was out there and that he knew where she was. That knowledge had kept Mary Jane on edge, constantly worrying about her friends and family, knowing that Jack O' Lantern could potentially strike at any of them.

Had anyone else been doing it, Mary Jane would have gone to the police long ago. However, her secret identity as the superheroic Spider-Woman kept her from doing so. The last thing she wanted was for the police or anyone else to figure out her secret identity from investigating Jack's harassment campaign. That fact made it all the more infuriating to Mary Jane, and the fact that Jack O' Lantern knew the fact and was milking it for all it was worth angered her even more.

Still, Mary Jane's sleep last night had still been better than before, because of her mother Maddie's words. Maddie had reassured Mary Jane that what her supervillain enemies did wasn't her fault, and emphatically reminded her of all the successes she'd had as a superheroine, even as she'd dwelled on her failures.

Maddie's support was what had helped Mary Jane keep get her stress under control, and what allowed her to keep going, following her normal routine, even as her insides churned at the thought of Jack O' Lantern somehow being able to get into her house.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #44

"FIRING LINE"

* * *

"Is that all of it, then?" Gary Broxtel asked his board of directors, as they all nodded.

"Alright, then this meeting is adjourned," he said calmly, closing up his computer and putting it back in his briefcase as the other executives did the same. Gary's voice was flat and calm, the voice of a man who was known for his stoicism. His somber demeanor and dark suits combined with the dead look in his eyes to make him look cold and aloof, and while he was never anything but civil to the people who worked under him, the fact that he was strictly business at the office and never made small talk meant that few people had any affection for him.

As head of Broxsteel, one of America's major steel companies, Gary Broxtel had few friends. He was also largely unknown to the public, unlike more dynamic and outgoing executives like Tony Stark, Bill Gates, Kyle Richmond or Steve Jobs, and rarely even fraternized with others of his social class. That tendency had greatly increased over the past year or so, as he'd become almost a total recluse. He and his wife Catherine now spent almost all their time at their posh Upper East Side brownstone, emerging only for work.

Gary managed to keep up his calm façade on the drive home up until he was safely back home behind closed doors. His demeanor changed dramatically as he took off his coat and shoes, his voice cracking as he gave a long, weary sigh. He seemed to age twenty years all at once, as his formerly confident walk became a tired, stumbling limp. Gary glanced at himself in the mirror as he passed by it on the way to the living room, realizing that he probably needed a new type of hair dye-even after he'd begun increasing the amount of this one, there was still too much gray showing for his liking.

Waiting for Gary in the living room was a dark-haired woman about his age, whose pale complexion, careworn face, and graying hair matched his own. Like Gary, she was impeccably dressed, although she also looked as cold and austere as he did. When she spoke, it was with a slow, painful manner that spoke of her having endured a recent trauma.

"How was it, Gary?" Catherine Broxtel asked her husband, as they embraced. "Did you hear anything?"

"No," Gary said quietly, shaking his head slowly. "I haven't heard anything yet," he replied, the pain in his voice reminiscent of his wife's.

"Nothing at all?" Catherine blinked in surprise.

"God only knows what he's doing," Gary shook his head. "How are the Wiedermans holding up?"

"They're all right, thank God," Catherine nodded. "I sent them this month's transfer yesterday."

"Cablevision called me again today," Gary said, a sad half-smile crossing his face. "They were pleading with you to come back."

"I can't," Catherine shook her head, "not right now. I need to know what Harvey's going to do, Gary. What do you think he's planning?"

"I've never been able to figure him out any more than you were," Gary shrugged sadly. "I just hope that…I don't know…"

"He's going to do something soon, I just know it," Catherine frowned. "Harvey's never been very patient."

Gary and Catherine set about making their dinner in silence. They did all the domestic chores themselves, as they did not want any servants hearing their conversation. Catherine had quit her job at the Cablevision television company, and if Gary didn't still have to manage Broxsteel he never would have left the house either. Neither one of them cared to show their faces in public, given the level of shame they felt.

They themselves had never done anything illegal, but having given birth to Harvey Broxtel was shame enough.

* * *

"You're sure you want to go through with this?" Peter Parker asked Mary Jane as the elevator they were riding came to a halt. "Remember, you're going to have to deal with J. Jonah Jameson!" he reminded her.

"I know that," Mary Jane nodded determinedly as the doors opened, "but I have to do this. I can't just leave Tarot hanging."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," Peter sighed. "And don't be surprised if Jameson throws us out-he **hates **the prisoner's rights movement."

Stepping into the _Daily Bugle'_s city room, Mary Jane was astonished by the contrasts she saw. The place was painted a perfectly bland shade of white and the carpets were a dull beige, with only the windows looking out over the city providing any break from the monotony. All of the office equipment was advanced and modern, giving the _Bugle _staff everything they needed to do their jobs, but the furniture looked to be a good two or even three decades old in some cases.

At first she was confused by the bizarre contrasts, but then she remembered what Peter had told her about Jameson. While Jameson was quite willing to spend top dollar on good computers and other printing equipment, he was otherwise such a skinflint that he made little to no effort to decorate the office and always bought the cheapest furniture he could buy that was still serviceable. According to Peter, Jameson didn't care at all about aesthetics and viewed spending on them as a waste of money. The result was an office that looked like a terribly dull and mundane place to work, but the sheer amount of activity almost made up for it.

Looking around in surprise as she followed Peter, Mary Jane saw that they were heading towards a large door at the back of the city room with Jameson's name prominently written on it. The door itself was clearly old, likely as old as the building itself, although Jameson had characteristically fitted it with an up-to-date electronic lock.

The door flew open as Peter and Mary Jane approached it, and a flurry of staff members emerged from the room, as Jameson's bellowing instructions followed them. Mary Jane recalled Peter telling her how Jameson ran the _Bugle _like a field marshal, constantly ordering staff into or out of his office, typing and revising editorials and e-mails, and carrying on phone conversations all at once.

The image was driven home as Peter and Mary Jane made their way into the office. Jameson was typing away furiously at his computer, while also carrying on a telephone conversation with someone, even as he gestured for Peter and Mary Jane to sit down. It was less than a minute before Jameson had finished his conversation and turned his conversation to the two youths, occasionally glancing back at his computer as he continued typing all the while.

"What's this about, Parker?" Jameson demanded, somehow managing to give both the computer screen, Peter and Mary Jane his full attention all at once. "Is she here for a job?" he asked, gesturing to Mary Jane. "I hope you realize I'm not running a charity here-the only reason I'm keeping that Sheridan kid around is because he's earned his pay!"

Mary Jane blinked and looked at Peter, who took a breath to calm himself.

"No, she's the person I said wanted to speak with you," Peter shook his head. "She-"

"If she's not here for a job, then you can both take a hike," Jameson interrupted bluntly. "I don't have time to-"

"Is that a Cavanagh hat?" Mary Jane quickly interrupted, pointing to the battered fedora hanging on a coatstand in the corner of the room.

"...Er, um…yes it is," Jameson blinked in surprise, caught off guard by Mary Jane's identification of his favorite old hat. "How did-"

"That looks like a…1960s brand, I think," Mary Jane nodded. "Most of your wardrobe is local, too-you're not interested in Armani or Gucci?" she asked, looking Jameson over.

"Why…yes," Jameson stuttered, again caught off guard. "I always buy American-I'll be damned if I'm going to be spending any of my money on some overpriced European garbage!" he thundered, passion in his voice.

"American money to American companies that give jobs to American workers, right?" Mary Jane smiled.

"Exactly!" Jameson smiled back at her. "That's why I don't smoke Havanas, either-the day I smoke anything made by a Communist is the day I lay down and die!"

"Has Communism ever worked, anywhere?" Mary Jane wondered, as Peter sat watching their conversation in silent amazement.

"No, it hasn't," Jameson nodded, now thoroughly charmed by Mary Jane. "But tell me, young lady-why exactly are you here?"

"Because I need your help," Mary Jane explained, using a slightly pleading tone. "It involves a mutant friend of mine, a mutant who's suffering because of who she is."

Jameson's eyes lit up immediately. Mary Jane knew she had Jameson's full attention now-mutant rights was arguably his biggest hot button issue.

"A mutant?" Jameson asked in surprise.

"Yes," Mary Jane nodded sadly, before proceeding to explain about the plight of Tarot and other mutant criminals who were being abused by their fellow inmates because of their mutant heritages.

Jameson sat on that, pondering for a moment.

"Mind if I smoke?" he asked Mary Jane, who shook her head. Peter's jaw dropped in shock, as Jameson never asked for permission to smoke in anyone's presence.

Lighting a cigar, Jameson pondered the issue. He generally didn't care for the plights of guilty inmates, particularly not when they were convicted of serious crimes. On the other hand, he truly despised the mistreatment mutants had suffered in society, a treatment that wasn't much different from the racism, sexism and homophobia other disadvantaged groups had suffered in the past. From fighting against segregation in the 1960s through to advocating for equal treatment for women to supporting gay marriage, Jameson had repeatedly used the _Daily Bugle _to advocate for those causes.

"…And you say that you don't want Tarot to be quoted as the direct source?" Jameson asked.

"She's afraid of retribution," Mary Jane explained.

"Well…" Jameson noted, "we can't have that. Yes, I think this is something I can look into…" he pondered, getting a faraway look in his eyes for a moment, before he snapped back to reality.

"What are you waiting for, Parker? Chinese New Year? I'm not paying you to just sit in my office!" he said brusquely, dismissing Peter and Mary Jane as he reached for his cell phone.

Shaking his head, Peter simply got up and led Mary Jane out, amazed at how easily Mary Jane had been able to break the ice with the crusty Jameson.

* * *

"You called, Mr. Jameson?" the blue-skinned Kurt Wagner asked, teleporting into Jameson's office a few minutes later.

"Give me the latest on the Robert Kelly and Citizens for a Mask-Free America stories," Jameson ordered Wagner. Kurt Wagner had earned his way up to become the newspaper's political editor through hard work, and Jameson had come to increasingly rely on him when it came to stories involving Wagner's fellow mutants.

"We've got plenty of information on both of them," Wagner explained, "although there's no evidence that they're connected as of yet. I'll e-mail you everything we've found so far, if you like."

"Do it," Jameson nodded. "How many free staff do you have right now?"

"Most of my people are fairly tied up," Wagner shrugged. "I could use some help with-"

"Contact Mercado," Jameson ordered, referring to Joy Mercado, the _Bugle's _newly promoted star crime reporter. "Get her investigating this thing about the abuse of mutants in prison," he continued, before explaining the reasoning behind it.

"…You think they're related, don't you?" Wagner asked slowly.

"No, not yet," Jameson shook his head. "That's what I want to find out."

"Right," Wagner nodded, before he teleported away.

What Jameson didn't tell Wagner was what he planned to do with that information. All three of these stories could easily be related-if he got enough dirt on Vincent Gonzalez's group or the abuse the mutant prisoners were suffering, he could use it to kneecap Robert Kelly's reelection efforts. If Gonzalez was really in favor of registering all mutants and other superhumans, as opposed to just costumed heroes, Jameson could use anything he dug up on Kelly or mutant abuse to crush Citizens For A Mask-Free America.

In every case, not only could Jameson continue to make a strong case for mutant rights, he could also continue to raise the _Daily Bugle's _profile and bolster sales in the process. Although print media was widely considered to be a dying industry, Jameson prided himself on being able to survive and even thrive in a changing market.

Once again, Jameson could combine genuine altruism and personal gain.

It was a combination J. Jonah Jameson had developed to perfection long ago.

* * *

Steven Mark Levins smirked to himself as he considered the success of the latest part of his plan. Planting the device in Mary Jane's room had been child's play-he'd used Mysterio's holographic projection devices to disguise himself as an ordinary passerby, and then wait until all of Mary Jane's family members had left the Watson home. From there, it was just a simple matter of walking in the front door as if he owned the place. The lock on the front door was easily picked, and the burglar alarm easily disabled, for one of Levins' scientific talents, and to anyone who happened to pass by it simply looked like an ordinary New Yorker unlocking the front door of his house. Going upstairs, leaving the package on Mary Jane's bed, and then leaving the house, relocking the door and resetting the alarm completed the affair. Levins had taken care that no one was in the vicinity before he'd entered the Watson home, walking around the block several times until he was satisfied that the street was deserted. In taking his trips he'd changed his disguise multiple times so it wouldn't look like he was the same person constantly coming back.

Levins, now better known as the psychotic supervillain Jack O' Lantern, knew that the first part of his plan was finally complete. He knew that his efforts in tormenting Mary Jane, reminding her that he was still out there, had revived all of her old guilt, despair and anger. Mary Jane knew Jack O' Lantern was out there, and there was nothing she could do to capture or stop him.

Now that Mary Jane was in the right frame of mind, he could move on to the next part of the plan.

The next step was to make Mary Jane doubt herself, leaving her confused and uncertain as to what was going on. People would no doubt see her startled reactions, and wonder what was going on with her-and what would she be able to say, without revealing her secret identity as Spider-Woman?

Mary Jane would never be able to trace it back to him, of course. How would she possibly even know he was pulling her strings?

Oh, but she was going to find out, of course.

When he finally struck, she would know all too well.

* * *

_It should all be mine, _Harvey Broxtel brooded to himself as he sat in the darkness, looking impatiently at the clock. _Instead, I'm stuck rotting in this hellhole, with the kind of human garbage that's not even good enough to drink out of my toilet…_

Sitting in a dirty room in a fleabag hotel in Hell's Kitchen, Harvey Broxtel would have liked nothing more than to incinerate the entire neighborhood and every one of the people who lived there. Although it wasn't on the same level as the utterly hopeless Yancy Street, Hell's Kitchen continued to live up to its grim reputation in the new millennium, as crime was still rampant in the area. The presence of Manhattan's superheroes, most notably the horned crimefighter Daredevil, had done much to make Hell's Kitchen bearable, but many of the neighborhood's honest residents still struggled to get by.

Harvey Broxtel was offended enough by their existence, but the fact that he was forced to live among them enraged him all the more. As the only child of Gary and Catherine Broxtel, he'd been born to a life of wealth and luxury beyond anything any of the poor wretches living in Hell's Kitchen could ever have attained. That was Harvey's blessing, and his parents' suffering…

_"Harvey Russell Broxtel!" Gary shouted angrily at his son. "Get in here this instant!" _

_ "What the hell do you want?" the ten-year old Harvey sneered as he walked into his father's home office. The look on his face was a cross between smug satisfaction and vague annoyance at being called in to speak with his father. _

_ "Your mother just told me what you did to Ms. Nancy," Gary scowled. "You broke two of her teeth!"_

_ "Ìf she`d done her goddamn job properly, I wouldn`t have had to teach her a lesson," Harvey shot back defiantly. "Where does she get off thinking that she can undercook my meal?"_

_ "She's not your slave, Harvey," Gary said, quickly losing his temper. "How many times do I have to tell you? Just because we have a lot of money doesn't mean that we're better than anyone else!" _

_ "That's bullshit!" Harvey shouted back, his own temper rising. "Look at them, Dad! They work for us! We **own **them! Why the hell shouldn't we be able to do anything we want to them?" _

_ "Alright, that's it!" Gary snapped, an icy calm in his voice as he stood up. Unhitching and removing his leather belt, he swung it in one hand as he grabbed Gary with the other. "I'm going to teach you some respect!" he continued, as he bent Harvey over his knee and began whipping him. _

_ "How can you do this to me?" Harvey screamed in a rage. "I'm your son!" _

_ "If you want to call yourself my son, then you'd better start acting like it!" Gary shouted in exasperation. "And no son of mine is going to go around thinking that he's royalty just because his family's rich!" _

Try as he might, of course, Gary Broxtel's efforts at disciplining his son hadn't done any good. Harvey had been violent and abusive, treating anyone and everyone below him as fit only to serve him. He'd long come to believe that he had the right to do anything he wanted to anyone he wanted, despite his parents' best efforts to change his behavior.

Perhaps the final straw had come when Harvey was fifteen.

_"Public school?" Harvey screamed at his parents. "You're sending me to public school?" _

_ "It's not so bad, Harvey," his mother Catherine said testily. "Maybe, if you actually got to know some of these people, you'd actually like them!" _

_ "I can't believe this!" Harvey shouted. "How could you do this to me?" _

_ "We're your parents," Gary frowned, "and we're sick of covering for you, Harvey. Do you know how many times we've had to do that?" _

_ "I'm your son!" Harvey snapped. "It's your job!" _

_ "Look Harvey," Catherine said calmly, "either you go to Midtown High, or you're going to juvenile hall. It's your choice." _

Naturally, things hadn't improved at Midtown High, as Harvey quickly became one of the most vicious bullies in the school.

_"Parker!" Harvey Broxtel roared down the hallway at Peter Parker. With his powerful build, athletic physique, and thick black hair, he easily towered over the skinny science student commonly known as 'Puny Parker' for his lack of muscles and athletic talent._

_"Were you looking at Felicia in gym class today, Parker?" Harvey bellowed in his face. _

_"N-no...I…" Peter began, paralyzed by fear. _

_"Are you calling me a liar?" Harvey snarled, his voice low and thick with menace. _

_"I wasn't looking at her!" Peter protested. _

_"I'll teach you to call me a liar!" Harvey growled, pinning Peter against the lockers with one hand while balling the other into a fist._

And then there was what happened with Liz Allan…

_"Come on, babe," Harvey grinned, as he tried to drag Liz away from Harry at the school dance. "Don't you want to dance with a real man?"_

_"Get lost, Harvey!" Harry spat at him, as he tried to push Harvey away, only to be shoved hard and sent stumbling back several feet. _

_"Let's do it, sweetie," Harvey smiled, as he tried to pull Liz away. "They're playing our song." _

_"Excuse me?" Liz said, trying to pull away from Harvey. "I don't want to dance with-"_

_"I didn't give you a choice, bitch!" Harvey shouted. As other students began taking notice, he raised his other hand to strike Liz. Fortunately, Harry came over and grabbed his arm, causing him to release Liz and turn to punching Harry in the face. As Harry fell back and landed on his back, Harvey raised his foot to stomp on him, until Mary Jane came up between them. With an expert twist of her feet, she tripped Harvey, sending him to crash heavily on his back as Liz helped Harry stand up. _

_"I'll fucking kill all three of you!" Harvey roared, as a number of other students started advancing on the scene, determined to prevent any fights from breaking out. _

_"That's it, man," Bruce McFarlane, nicknamed `Kong` for his massive size and hairy features, ordered as he shoved Harvey back into the arms of some of his football teammates, who were acting as security for the dance. "You're gone." _

_"You think you can scare me, you fag?" Harvey spat, struggling in the arms of the football players. "All I have to do is tell my parents, and-"_

_"And what?" sneered Kong. "Midtown High's counting on me and Hobie to bring home the championship this year," he grinned. "It'd be a pity if he and I decided to quit the team because of whatever shit you try to pull. Who do you think the teachers are going to listen to more…the asshole new kid who thinks he can run things because of daddy's money, or the school's top athlete?"_

_"This isn't fucking over!" Harvey yelled as he was bodily dragged out of the school gym and thrown out into the mud outside. _

Those memories made Harvey seethe with anger, and he had to make a concerted effort to keep his fiery temper under control. In his mind, his parents were responsible for everything he believed he'd suffered, the humiliations and the embarrassments.

Now, though, he was capable of getting the revenge he'd dreamed of for so long.

* * *

Swinging through the city in her Spider-Woman costume the next day, Mary Jane reflected on everything going on in her life. Desiree Vaughn-Pope had warmly praised Mary Jane for her work at the photoshoot, and she'd already given Mary Jane a sizable paycheque in appreciation for her hard work-Mary Jane planned to use some of the money she'd gotten from Vaughn-Pope to pay down some of her student loan debts and use the rest of it to help her mother and Aunt Anna pay the bills. She'd spent an hour on the phone talking to a reporter from the _Daily Bugle, _relating everything Marie-Ange Colbert had told her about the mutant prisoners at Riker's Island being abused, which Jameson would hopefully use to raise awareness of the problem. She was caught up on her schoolwork, and things were going well at home.

Unfortunately, there was still the problem of Vincent Gonzalez's hate campaign against her, which had now morphed into a larger anti-superhero campaign. And then there was what happened with her boyfriend Randy Robertson, who Mary Jane hadn't spoken to since she'd had lunch with Randy and his parents last week. Randy's parents had made it quite clear that they didn't think much of her, and she wasn't sure what that meant for her relationship with their son. The next day hadn't been much better, as she'd failed miserably in her attempt to stop the supervillain Will O' the Wisp from murdering his ex-wife and her new husband.

And then, of course, there was Jack O' Lantern.

Always Jack O' Lantern.

Distracted by the unwelcome thoughts of her most hated enemy, Spider-Woman was caught off guard as her spider-senses began buzzing. One of the many people she'd marked with her pheromones was in a critical situation, one that Spider-Woman would be interested in, and she knew she needed to respond.

Swinging into the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Spider-Woman cursed as she saw the fiery explosions in the distance. Out of all her rogues gallery, Jack O' Lantern might have been the one who repulsed her the most, but Firebrand wasn't far behind. He was probably the worst of Spider-Woman's enemies when it came to pure destructive power, to say nothing of his murderous temper and psychotic sadism.

_As usual, the old Watson luck is running true to form, _Spider-Woman thought grimly as she swung towards the fire.

* * *

Catherine was waiting for Gary as he returned from work, the same way she always was. They hugged briefly before sitting down at the kitchen table, eating the frozen dinners Catherine had thawed.

"All the payments have been made?" Gary asked calmly, as Catherine nodded.

"And still no word on Harvey?" Gary asked again. This time, Catherine shook her head.

Closing his eyes briefly, Gary thought again of their son. He'd nearly been arrested on multiple occasions for his violent activities, but the Broxtels had continually gotten him off the hook. Finally, they'd had enough after he'd been arrested for nearly beating to death a victim who'd tried to tell the authorities what he was doing, and left him to rot in jail. From there, Harvey had become doused in an experimental plasma during a prison break, gaining the terrifying ability to generate and control fire. Now calling himself Firebrand, Harvey had gone on more than one murderous rampage with his powers, leaving at least seventeen people dead in his wake.

Gary was about to ask Catherine something else when they heard a loud explosion from the lobby of their home. Running out to see what was going on, Gary and Catherine rocked back on their heels as they saw the figure in the thick coat, hat and scarf suddenly glow with bright orange fire, fire that burned off his outer clothing and revealed his true appearance.

The man underneath the coat was clad in a suit of golden metal plates that had melted into his skin, with the metal plates on his thighs and arms scorched a bright red. His face was hidden behind an impassive facemask of smaller metal plates that had half-melted together, giving his face a disturbing stitched, cracked look that would have been disturbing enough without the brightly glowing golden eyes and hateful mouth that were visible through large holes in the mask.

"_Well, well, well…" _Firebrand sneered, enjoying the looks of fear on his parents' faces. _"Perhaps you'd care to tell me why you never show your faces in public anymore?" _

Anger began to replace fear on Gary and Catherine's faces as they considered their son, the cause of all their misery.

"Because of you," Catherine replied calmly, gaining courage from her words. "We don't go out any more because of you!"

"_Oh, really?" _Firebrand asked in mock-hurt tones. _"What, are you ashamed of me? Ashamed of your only son?" _

"You're damn right, we are," Gary said. "We're ashamed we ever had you, Harvey-you're a disgrace to the Broxtel name."

Firebrand's flames burned more hotly, to the point where Gary and Catherine were now sweating profusely, but if they were at all intimidated they did not show it.

"_Oh, really?" _Firebrand replied, raising an eyebrow. _"And what, pray tell, do you do, hiding in this brownstone?" _

"Well, for one thing, we pay back the families of the people whose lives you've ruined," Catherine replied. "It's the least we owe them."

"_You spend money on those pathetic wretches, and nothing on your only son? That's my money you're spending!" _Firebrand shouted angrily, as his flames grew even hotter.

"We never should have spent a damn cent on you, Harvey," Gary shot back. "We should have let you rot the first time you were charged. You're dead to us, you know that?"

"_SO, THAT'S YOU FEEL?" _Firebrand screamed, as he exploded into flames. _"YOU CARE MORE ABOUT THOSE SNIVELING WEAKLINGS MORE THAN YOUR OWN SON?"_ he raved, throwing fireballs left and right as the brownstone caught fire. _"ALL THIS IS MINE! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE MINE! YOU DON'T GET TO GIVE IT AWAY!" _he shrieked, advancing on his parents as they turned to desperately somehow escape.

Holding out his hands, Firebrand generated a massive fireball that he clearly intended to throw at his fleeing parents, but he inadvertently tossed it into the ceiling as he was pulled off his feet from behind. Losing his balance, Firebrand fell on his back as the spectacular Spider-Woman charged into the house, releasing the webline she'd used to snare Firebrand. Blasting a large hole in the weakened wall with her sting blasts, she gestured at Gary and Catherine to run as she moved between them and Firebrand.

"_SPIDER-WOMAN?" _Firebrand screamed, as he released a wave of flames at her and his fleeing parents. _"Again? Why are you always interfering with my fun?" _

"Because I can," Spider-Woman shot back, spraying a thick barrier of webbing to shield herself from Firebrand's blasts. "How many times do we have to do this, Harvey? I always win, you always lose...don't you get tired of it?" she mocked Firebrand, hoping to keep his anger focused on her and not his fleeing parents.

Firebrand lashed out with another wave of fire that snaked around her web barrier to strike at her, even as he shot another fireball at the ceiling to try and drop flaming debris on her. Spider-Woman skilfully leapt over both attacks, jumping forward over her web barrier in an attempt to strike at Firebrand, but the fire-spitting villain was faster. Lashing out with a long trail of fire that he wielded like a whip, Firebrand burned Spider-Woman and knocked her back into her own web barrier, catching her in the chest with another piercing fireball in the split second she needed to free herself from the sticky barrier.

Spider-Woman's entire body screamed with pain as she staggered, remembering all too clearly that Firebrand's flames became hotter the more his anger increased. She hit Firebrand with a point-blank sting blast, forcing him back, before she zapped him again. Catching him with a webline, she spun him around and threw him through a far wall. Firebrand went flying and crashed through into the dining room, and Spider-Woman leapt at him, not intending to give him an inch. Once again, Firebrand recovered more quickly than Spider-Woman expected, and raised a wall of fire that Spider-Woman passed through in midair, burning her all over.

Falling off balance and landing heavily on the floor, Spider-Woman rolled desperately to stay ahead of the blades of fire Firebrand was trying to strike her with. Finally, she snagged Firebrand's ankles with a webline and pulled him off balance, leaping to her feet as he fell on his back. Whipping him around again, she sent Firebrand crashing heavily into the burning table, causing it to break apart into a heap of flaming debris as Firebrand slumped down on top of it.

Dizzied by the heat and aching from her burns, Spider-Woman struggled to stay conscious. As Firebrand rose up again, he threw another scorching fireball at her that she rolled around, firing a sting blast with one hand and using the other to follow up with a webline a second later. Firebrand dodged both of the attacks, laughing hysterically as he prepared to release another wave of fire at Spider-Woman. That was just what Spider-Woman had expected, as her sting blast had weakened the ceiling above them and she now used her webbing to pull the debris down on Firebrand. As the fiery killer staggered under the attack, Spider-Woman blasted him once again with her sting blasts, caught him with a webline and then brutally swung him around into the far wall. Bouncing off the wall, Firebrand landed on his feet, spun around once and then collapsed.

Webbing Firebrand up and carrying him out of the brownstone, the exhausted Spider-Woman was relieved to see that the fire department had arrived and that Firebrand's parents were both unharmed. The police had also arrived by that point, and Spider-Woman unceremoniously dumped the unconscious and webbed Firebrand at the first officer's feet before staggering over to join the Broxtels.

"Are you alright?" Spider-Woman asked them slowly, savoring the feeling of the cool, fresh air as she took a deep breath.

"As good as we can be," Catherine replied slowly. "We owe you our lives, Spider-…" she trailed off in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Spider-Woman asked nervously, seeing that Gary Broxtel had a similar expression on his face.

"You're just a child," Catherine breathed, caught off guard by how young Spider-Woman was. "What are you doing fighting monsters like Harvey?"

"You know him?" Spider-Woman asked in surprise.

"Know him?" Gary sighed. "He's our worthless son. Or at least, he **was **our son. After everything he's done, he's dead to us."

Looking back at the Broxtels, Spider-Woman was astonished at how pale and haggard they were. There was no surprise on their faces at learning that their son had become a homicidal pyromaniac, merely shame and resignation.

"You're both alright?" Spider-Woman finally asked after a moment. "He didn't hurt either one of you?"

Gary and Catherine shook their heads.

"Good," Spider-Woman nodded, as she turned to leave.

"Wait!" Gary called out to Spider-Woman, as she turned back in surprise.

"Don't believe any of the crap people like Vincent Gonzalez say about you," Catherine told her. "You're better than that. Don't forget it."

Nodding once and smiling gratefully to the Broxtels, Spider-Woman spun a webline and swung off, determined not to forget their advice.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane tries to patch things up with Randy, even as she wonders how things will work out with Randy's parents. Meanwhile, J. Jonah Jameson and the _Daily Bugle _investigate the possible connections between Vincent Gonzalez's organization, the abuse suffered by mutant prisoners like Marie-Ange Colbert. At the same time, Mary Jane's mother Maddie starts trying to counter Vincent Gonzalez's efforts against her daughter by promoting a positive image of the city's superheroes. Even as all this is going on, Spider-Woman ends up in a direct confrontation with Vincent Gonzalez himself, learning the horrible truth behind his activities! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #45: Vigilante Man!_)

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Longtime readers may note that, way back in issue #5, Flash Thompson was the one depicted as throwing Harvey out of the school dance, not Kong. This was a major continuity goof on my part, as the depiction of Flash in that issue didn't mesh at all with the macho coward I'd established him as in _Ultimate Sleepwalker: The New Dreams. _As much as I generally hate retcons, this is one of those times when they're necessary to fix an actual mistake. Kong, not Flash, is the one who led the way in throwing Harvey out.

Similarly, alert readers may also note that, in Ultimate Sleepwalker #15, Detective Cecilia Perez makes a reference to Blizzard as an Iron Man enemy. It wasn't until I'd begun writing this series and created Blizzard as an enemy of Spider-Woman that I realized that I had two Blizzards running around at the same time. I plan to fix this in an upcoming storyline, where Gregor Shapanka, the Blizzard who's fought Iron Man, comes to New York to kill Donny Gill, the Blizzard who's fought Spider-Woman, for stealing his identity.


	52. Vigilante Man

It wasn't unusual for Mary Jane Watson to have mixed emotions these days, and this morning was no different as she caught up on her e-mails between classes. She'd gotten an email from Desiree Vaughn-Pope, the head of Vaughn-Pope Cosmetics, who'd contracted Mary Jane for a modelling campaign featuring a new line of thigh-high socks patterned with the colors of the teams of the National Football League. According to Vaughn-Pope, sales of the socks were through the roof, something Vaughn-Pope attributed to the outstanding work Mary Jane and the other models had done. As an added bonus, Vaughn-Pope had taken the models' photos and used them to produce a series of posters of Mary Jane and the other models. The posters had also racked up huge sales, and Vaughn-Pope had written to tell Mary Jane that she would be getting paid a second time for her modelling work. Her first cheque had been for the photoshoot itself, and the second cheque would the posters that had been developed from the modelling shoot.

That was the good news, and Mary Jane knew she'd be able to make good use of the money Vaughn-Pope would be paying her. Unfortunately, the bad news came in the form of an e-mail from her boyfriend Randy Robertson:

_Hi sweetie, _

_ I'm so sorry I haven't written or called lately. I've just been so busy lately, working at the radio station and keeping up with my schoolwork. I also went to my cousin's wedding-I wanted to bring you, but Mom said that it should be a family-only affair. I don't know what she was talking about-when I got there, I saw that a bunch of the other guys brought their girlfriends. _

_ I really don't know what's going on with my parents, MJ. Every time I try to talk to them about my bringing you to anything they do, they always find some excuse for me not to do it. I'm going to ask them about this-it's not fair to me or to you. _

_ Love, _

_ Randy. _

Mary Jane frowned at that. She didn't doubt that Randy would do everything he could to try and get his parents to change their minds, but she knew he probably wouldn't succeed. When she and Randy had met his parents for lunch a week and a half ago, Mary Jane had gotten a chilly reception from Isaiah and Louise Robertson, particularly once they'd learned that she was an actress and a model. She wasn't entirely sure why they seemed to dislike her so much, but she suspected it probably had to do with her career choices.

Not that this was the first time she'd gotten a less-than-warm welcome from a potential boyfriend's parents. Ben Reilly's father Andrew had been especially hostile to the idea of Mary Jane dating his son, to the point where he'd outright threatened her over the phone. Things had pretty much fizzled out between her and Ben after that.

Now, she hadn't spoken to Randy in over ten days, not since she'd stormed out of the From East To West restaurant. Her frustration had gotten the better of her when she'd had to deal with Randy's parents' dislike of her on top of all the other problems in her life, and she'd come to regret it since then. Unfortunately, in between following up on helping Tarot, preparing for her midterm exams, fighting her old enemies Will O' the Wisp and Firebrand as Spider-Woman and working for Desiree Vaughn-Pope, she hadn't been able to talk to him.

Mary Jane only sighed as she started typing a reply to Randy.

_I've never broken any mirrors, stepped under any ladders, spilled any salt or had any black cats walk in front of me, _she thought to herself, _and yet the old Watson luck strikes again…_

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #45

"VIGILANTE MAN"

* * *

_This is the life, _Roderick Kingsley mused to himself, _enjoying the company of a beautiful woman while the wife is out of town. I mean, yes, Rebecca still turns me on, but she turned thirty last year! What am I supposed to do? She's only getting older, after all-she's going to be thirty-one in May! _

Rolling his eyes in mock frustration, Kingsley looked over at the figure of the beautiful woman whose company he was enjoying. She was at the bar mixing some fresh drinks, her long, silvery-blonde hair hanging loosely about her shoulders and contrasting nicely with the black teddy she was wearing. As she turned around, Kingsley basked in the devilish look on her face and the seductive look in her eyes.

"Stirred, not shaken, just the way you like it," Felicia Hardy purred as she sat down in Kingsley's lap and handed him his martini. "And believe me, I make them better than your wife ever did."

"You make it with me better than my wife ever did, too," Kingsley grinned back at her lasciviously. "Was the first payment enough?"

"You bet," Felicia laughed back. "I have to admit, I love the 'company benefits' too," she tittered.

"You and me both," Kingsley laughed. "So, tell me-have you ever been to Hawaii?"

"A couple of times, when I was little," Felicia replied, adjusting her position in Kingsley's lap, "but Daddy never really liked going there. He always had a miserable time, and only went because Mom insisted on it."

"Gee, that's too bad," Kingsley frowned. "What if I were to say that your new Daddy planned to take you to Hawaii because of all your good work?"

Felicia squealed with pleasure and kissed Kingsley, before falling back giggling.

Kingsley only laughed at that, reflecting on the irony. He'd originally recruited Felicia after seeing her on stage in that production of _Les Miserables _in New York, when things had gone sour with Mary Jane Watson. Imagine Kingsley's delight, then, when Felicia turned out to be Mary Jane's old rival from high school, and had beaten out Mary Jane for the part of Eponine!

Kingsley had neither forgiven nor forgotten the way Mary Jane had struck him after he'd groped her, and he'd been thinking of a way that he might try and get a suitable revenge on her. Smearing her to his fellow modeling executives hadn't really helped, as many of them hadn't really believed him. Still, now that Mary Jane was getting exposure once again thanks to that bitch Desiree Vaughn-Pope, she'd probably be getting some new offers for modeling work.

_Fair enough, then, _Kingsley realized.

_If I have to play hardball, then that's what I'll do, _he concluded, before bursting into laughter once again.

* * *

Sitting in Professor Vargas's Criminology class later that day, Mary Jane listened intently as the class reviewed in preparation for next week's midterm exams. Empire State University had reworked its schedule compared to last year, which meant that Spring Break had been moved back another year. Most of the students were predictably unhappy about it, although in Mary Jane's case it was for different reasons than most. She'd intended to dedicate Spring Break to tracking down Jack O' Lantern and bring him to justice, and was none too happy that she'd have to wait another week before she could do so.

All of a sudden, her spider-senses began blaring. Mary Jane's spider-senses worked differently from Peter Parker's spider-senses, which warned him about immediate threats and attacks. Mary Jane's spider-senses functioned as a sort of biological tracking system. She had marked many of the people she knew, friends and enemies alike, with special chemical pheromones that she could home in on with her spider-senses. That ability had proven useful on more than one occasion in tracking different people down. Her spider-senses could also activate on their own when someone she had marked with her pheromones was in a situation that she would have had a strong emotional reaction to, whether a friend who was in danger or an enemy committing a crime.

Immediately, Mary Jane leapt to her feet, dropping her books and papers, looking around in alarm as she tried to figure out where her spider-senses were leading her. As Professor Vargas and the rest of the class looked up at Mary Jane in surprise, her spider-senses immediately stopped. Mary Jane stood there in hopeless confusion, staring awkwardly at Professor Vargas and the other students who were looking at her in surprise.

"Are you okay, Mary Jane?" Professor Vargas asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mary Jane said in embarrassment, picking up her books and papers as she sat down again. "I just had a back spasm," she hastily added.

Shrugging, Professor Vargas resumed the class and the students turned back to pay attention to what he was saying. The only exception was Mary Jane, whose head whirled with what had just happened.

Why had her spider-senses suddenly gone off like that?

Was the situation they were reacting to resolved?

Were the pheromones stimulated by something?

Or were her spider-senses starting to malfunction?

She spent the rest of the class and most of the rest of the day puzzling over it, but she just couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Mary Jane wasn't sure what alarmed her more-the fact that someone marked with her pheromones may have needed her help or committed a crime, or the fact that her powers may have been starting to go haywire.

* * *

Setting out later that night on patrol as Spider-Woman, Mary Jane tried focusing her spider-senses to see if she could home in on whatever it was that had disrupted them earlier in the day. Concentrating intently as she swung above the city, Spider-Woman found that, whatever the source was, her spider-senses simply couldn't get a fix on it.

That was bad-what if her spider-senses really were malfunctioning? Landing on a rooftop, Spider-Woman concentrated again, this time thinking of her friend Kitty Pryde, one of the many people she'd known and marked with her pheromones in case she needed to track them down.

Her spider-senses responded to her mental command, and the knowledge of Kitty's location sprung into her mind. Spider-Woman's spider-senses were directing her in the direction of Kitty's family home, and Kitty was probably at home this evening. Satisfied with that test, Spider-Woman switched her focus to her mother Maddie Watson. Again, her spider-senses responded the way they were supposed to, leading her back in the direction of her home.

_Okay, so my spider-senses are working alright now, _Spider-Woman thought to herself as she leapt into the air and resumed her web-swinging. _But why did they just act up in the middle of the day? Was someone I know in trouble? I didn't hear anything on the news, so what happened? _

_ Did Jack O' Lantern do something? _

The idea sent chills down her spine. Jack O' Lantern was still on the loose, still waiting, still watching, still plotting…

Spider-Woman forced herself to stay calm as she began to shudder involuntarily. She couldn't afford to think too much about her hated archenemy, especially not if she ran into another criminal and was too distracted to fight properly. Although she'd done her level best to concentrate on her daily life and her other commitments, the thought of Jack O' Lantern had always remained at the back of her mind, lurking in the shadows of her thoughts with the knowledge that he knew who she was and that he knew where she was.

Always following her, always watching her.

Spider-Woman jumped off her webline and landed on a wall, anchoring herself with her feet as she rubbed at her temples, trying to get a grip on herself. Jack's laughter was echoing in her mind again, and-

Laughter?

No, that was just her imagination.

Then what was Spider-Woman hearing?

Screams?

Screams from that apartment?

Spider-Woman could see shadows moving in that apartment across the street, and flickering lights.

Anger replaced Spider-Woman's fear, as she spun a webline and swung towards the apartment, a determined look in her eyes.

* * *

It had been a peaceful night for Mario Calamino, his wife Isabella and their two children. They led fairly conventional lives, Mario working as a construction worker while Isabella pocketed extra money taking care of the neighbors' children when their parents were at work. They didn't pay much attention to the news or to politics, and had only spoken up once to defend the superheroic Spider-Woman. They'd done that after Isabella had taken their youngest daughter to Macy's Department Store last Christmas to see Santa Claus, and had witnessed the attack of the electrically-powered psychopath Supercharger.

Supercharger had gone on a rampage to force Spider-Woman to fight him, and he'd succeeded. Although Spider-Woman had successfully subdued the maniac, Supercharger had killed a number of innocent bystanders and wounded many more. The people who'd been caught in the crossfire had mixed views on what happened. Many people blamed Spider-Woman for the deaths and injuries of their loved ones, since Supercharger had gone on his rampage to lure her there, but Isabella and Mario had made a point of defending Spider-Woman in the media and giving some fairly blunt rebuttals to her critics. That was as much fame as the Calaminos cared to receive, and once it was done they'd faded back into obscurity.

Or so it seemed, at least, until the gang of thugs had broken into their apartment. They were all dressed the same, clad in black sweaters and jeans and wearing black ski masks over their faces, making them almost impossible to identify. Mario and Isabella had tried to fight back, but they'd been easily overcome. The entire Calamino family had been tied up, and now Mario and Isabella were being forced to watch as their daughters were viciously beaten. The ugly looks in the thugs' eyes, which Mario and Isabella could see even in the dim light of the thugs' flashlights, made all too clear what they intended to do after they'd had their fun beating the Calaminos.

The sound of the balcony door being forced made everyone, prisoner and thug alike, look up in surprise as the spectacular Spider-Woman burst into the apartment. The two thugs standing over the Calaminos' daughters hesitated, the tire irons they were using the beating still held in the air. Spider-Woman didn't waste the opportunity, blasting the thugs unconscious with her sting blasts. Two of the other thugs raised their guns, but Spider-Woman spun too quickly for them to react and doused them both with a spray of webbing, clogging their guns and tripping them up as they tried to run. They quickly fell on their faces, unable to break out of the sticky webbing.

The last thug had a murderous look in his eyes, screaming in rage as he charged Spider-Woman with a wicked-looking dagger. He ducked under the sting blast Spider-Woman fired at him and came up in surprising speed, forcing her back with repeated swipes of his dagger. Dodging quickly, Spider-Woman managed to catch his arms in her hands. Using her superhuman strength, she twisted the wrist holding the thug's dagger, forcing him to drop it, before she shoved him back. As he stumbled, Spider-Woman struck him with a sting blast and then began wrapping him up in a burst of webbing. The dazed thug sank to his knees, kept from falling by the netting of webbing that now entangled him. Dragging him forward, Spider-Woman reached out and yanked off his ski mask, thoroughly disgusted by the thug's actions.

If Spider-Woman's blood had been hot with anger, it now ran cold as she stared into the face of Vincent Gonzalez, the man behind the mask. Vincent Gonzalez had been the leader of the public hate campaign that had been started against her, which he'd later grown into Citizens For A Mask-Free City, a more general anti-superhero group. As Spider-Woman had later discovered after Vincent had started his movement, one of Supercharger's earliest victims had been Vincent's sister Michelle, who ran an anti-Spider-Woman hate site. Supercharger had murdered Michelle as part of his original campaign of declaring his sick "love" for Spider-Woman, and Vincent had later claimed that the deaths of Supercharger's victims were Spider-Woman's fault.

Before, Spider-Woman had only felt guilt and shame whenever she saw anything Vincent Gonzalez wrote or said, wondering if he was right in what she said. But now, as she untied the Calaminos, all she could feel was anger and disgust as she gathered up Vincent and his thugs and bound them all with more of her webbing. Turning around, Spider-Woman looked back at the Calaminos. Isabella was cradling her battered children, while Mario had just finished calling the police. He came down to join his wife and daughters, embracing them all as Spider-Woman turned back to keep an eye on the thugs who'd invaded their home.

Vincent Gonzalez glared back at her with hatred in his eyes, even as the rest of his goons tried to avoid her gaze.

"You hate me," Spider-Woman scowled at Vincent. "I get that. I can even sympathize with you after what happened to your sister. But what the hell, what in God's name, do **they **have to do with this?" Spider-Woman demanded, gesturing back at the Calaminos.

"They defended you, you fucking bitch," Vincent spat back, hatred dripping from his voice. "You think I'm just going to let that shit slide? It's your fault Michelle's dead. IT'S YOUR FAULT!" he repeated, his voice rising into an angry shout.

"So because of that, you start attacking people who defend me?" Spider-Woman asked in horror. "People who've suffered the same way you did, and who didn't do anything more than like me?"

"They don't care, and neither do you!" Vincent shouted back, his face now red and the veins standing out on either side of his neck. "Supercharger killed all those people because of you!"

"You think I don't know that?" Spider-Woman answered, more calmly this time. "You think I don't feel guilty about it, knowing that Supercharger killed all those people to get to me? I can't even count the number of times I wondered if you were right, and if I was responsible for psychopaths like him!"

"Well, you are!" Vincent replied.

"So that justifies attacking people who've never done anything to you? Letting people write those disgusting posts on your website about wanting to sexually assault me? How does anything justify that bullshit?" Spider-Woman asked calmly, no longer fazed by Vincent's angry shouting.

"It doesn't," Mario Calamino spoke up. "You saved our lives tonight, young lady, and it isn't the first time you've done it, either."

"What do you mean?" Spider-Woman asked in confusion.

"I was taking Joanna to see Santa that day when you fought Supercharger," Mario's wife Isabella chimed in. "He would have killed us all if you hadn't save us."

"It was her fault Supercharger was there in the first place!" Vincent protested.

"No, it wasn't," Isabella pointed out. "Supercharger made his own choices, and so did you. You make me sick-what would this Michelle person think of you now?" she demanded.

"DON'T YOU SAY HER NAME!" Vincent screamed, struggling to break out of Spider-Woman's webbing as the police arrived.

It didn't take long for them to handcuff Vincent and his thugs and read them their rights once Spider-Woman had peeled her webbing off of them. Vincent and the rest of his thugs, all now unmasked, were led out of the room as the other tenants of the apartment, who'd all been too terrified by the sounds of violence to respond, now poked their heads out of their doors to see what was happening. Many of them recognized Vincent Gonzalez, mumbling to themselves as they realized what he'd been doing.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Spider-Woman asked Mario and Isabella, as a team of paramedics entered into the apartment to treat the Calaminos' injuries.

"Thanks to you, we will," Isabella assured her.

Smiling gratefully, and satisfied that the police and paramedics would take care of the Calaminos, Spider-Woman stepped out onto the fire escape of their apartment and swung off into the evening. She felt an equal amount of disgust and relief. She was deeply disgusted at the sickening things Vincent Gonzalez and his goons had done. At the same time, she also felt as though a burden was lifted off her shoulders, a relief that came from knowing that, for all the people that hated her as a menace, there were others like the Calaminos who appreciated her efforts.

* * *

The next morning found J. Jonah Jameson in the same place he always was, seated at his desk while chain-smoking cigars and issuing orders to the staff of the _Daily Bugle _like a field marshal. Longtime employees of the _Bugle _could attest to the fast pace of work there, and no one worked harder than Jameson, who personally reviewed every letter of every word of every sentence of every paragraph of every story in every section on every page of every edition of the _Bugle _before it went to press.

Jameson was working feverishly on a new editorial when he was interrupted by a loud BAMF sound and the smell of brimstone. Looking up from his computer, still typing all the while, Jameson noted the arrival of the mutant Kurt Wagner, the _Bugle's _political editor. With his mutant teleportation abilities, Wagner could frequently ferry himself and other important messages around the _Bugle _offices, and often proved himself more reliable than the fanciest new technology.

"Kelly, Gonzalez or Riker's Island?" Jameson demanded, referring to three of the major stories he'd ordered Wagner to give priority to.

"Numbers two and three," Wagner said. "Vincent Gonzalez was arrested last night," he explained, before briefly summarizing the attack Gonzalez and his thugs had made on the Calaminos and their rescue by Spider-Woman.

"The bastard was so two-faced, I could have sworn he was a younger Rudy Giuliani," Jameson scowled, as he stubbed out his cigar. "So-"

"That's not all," Wagner interrupted, as he handed Jameson a set of handwritten notes. "Joy Mercado's been doing some digging, and she noted that a lot of the other people who've been attacked by groups of masked thugs similar to Gonzalez and his pack were all supporters of Spider-Woman, so-"

"-so that's the reason they were attacked," Jameson scowled. "At least the heroes have a good reason to get people angry at them. How much property damage has the wall-crawler's grudge matches caused?" Jameson asked, referring to the amazing Spider-Man, the superhero who'd become the primary target of Jameson's anti-superhero editorials.

"There's also-" Wagner tried to start.

"-something to do with Riker's Island," Jameson finished for him, before snapping his fingers. "Well, come on, I don't have all day! What do you think this is, my playing golf with Michael Bloomberg?" he demanded.

Sighing inwardly, Wagner handed them over as Jameson snatched them out of his hand, scanning intently.

"I want this typed up for tomorrow," he nodded in satisfaction. "If they think they can pick on mutant prisoners on my watch, they're going to be sorry. I fought the Japanese, I fought the Klan, I fought Nixon, I fought Carter, I fought the Friends of Humanity, I fought Ward Churchill, I fought Giuliani, I fought the Mutant Registration Act, and I won every time! I'll be damned if I let this slide!" he finished, lighting up yet another cigar.

"Get to work on this," he ordered, handing the papers back Wagner as Wagner nodded.

"Now get out of here and don't come back unless you have something new on Senator Kelly!" Jameson ordered.

"Wait!" Jameson ordered, as Wagner prepared to teleport.

"Yes, Mr. Jameson?" Wagner asked.

"You can come back if you have something else in the Gonzalez case," Jameson said, "if you have something on Obama's next move in the primaries, if you get any more information on that attack the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is planning, if you get anything else on support for the Superhuman Registration Act, or if you get anything on what the Friends of Humanity are planning," Jameson finally concluded.

"Now, get going!" he ordered, as Wagner merely sighed and teleported away.

Jameson then pulled out his cell phone and texted a message to his city editor Glory Grant with one hand, ordering her into his office, even as he used his other hand to continue frantically typing away at his computer.

* * *

"So, what's the verdict?" Mary Jane asked Dr. Hudson after she'd gotten dressed and come back into the exam room.

"You're in excellent health overall, Mary Jane," Dr. Hudson explained, reviewing her notes. "There are a couple of little concerns, though-are you getting enough sleep at night?"

"I try to," Mary Jane replied hesitantly, "but I'm having problems with nightmares."

"I'm afraid I'm not surprised," Dr. Hudson frowned sympathetically. "You're suffering from stress, Mary Jane, and you need to deal with it."

Mary Jane only sighed. She'd scheduled an appointment with her doctor to determine if she had some sort of health problem that was causing her spider-senses to misfire, but that clearly wasn't the case. After all, even during the nervous breakdown she'd suffered last year, her spider-powers had still functioned the way she wanted them to. Stress and anger hadn't caused her powers to malfunction, so what was it?

"I just have too much on my plate," Mary Jane said.

"Well then, you need to think about what to give up," Dr. Hudson pointed out. "You need to think about yourself, too," she reminded Mary Jane.

"I'll definitely give it some thought, Doctor," Mary Jane nodded. "Thanks again!" she nodded, before leaving to settle her bill.

Once she'd left the exam room, however, she suddenly felt her spider-senses activate on their own. Jolted into alertness, Mary Jane looked around instinctively before her spider-senses stopped functioning.

Realizing that her spider-senses had activated by themselves again, Mary Jane only shook her head and resumed walking down the hall. She settled her bill and then headed for the door, but then she stumbled as her spider-senses activated for the second time. Nearly tripping over her feet this time, Mary Jane had to grab onto the wall to keep from keeling over with surprise.

Now trembling, Mary Jane made her way out of the doctor's office and began walking towards the subway station…and her spider-senses activated **again, **surprising her so badly that she lost her balance and gave a cry of surprise. Stumbling forward again, completely off balance, Mary Jane grabbed onto a lamppost and leaned on it for several minutes, gasping for breath as she tried to overcome her shock. This time, she was shaking as much from anxiety as from surprise.

Three times.

Her spider-senses had activated three times in almost as many minutes.

What was wrong with her?

* * *

To her immense relief, Mary Jane didn't feel her spider-senses activate any more after she returned home. Catching a glance in the mirror as she passed by it, Mary Jane was struck by how pale and stressed she looked, shaking like a leaf and looking like she hadn't slept in days.

Taking some Tylenol and water to ease her headache, Mary Jane sat down to try and relax. She must have been even more tired than she thought, as she found herself slowly waking up as she heard the front door closing. Realizing she'd fallen asleep in her chair, Mary Jane got up and went to see who had come home. It was her mother Maddie, who looked as fresh-faced and cheerful as Mary Jane looked weary and exhausted.

Of course, that changed as soon as Maddie saw her daughter.

"Oh my God," she said in horror, hugging her daughter. "What happened to you, sweetie?"

"It's kind of hard to explain," Mary Jane replied, but she managed to do so anyway, telling Maddie about her spider-senses and why they seemed to be activating just at random.

"And the doctor couldn't find anything wrong?" Maddie asked.

"No," Mary Jane shook her head. "That's why I'm so worried about it. About the only thing I can think of is that it's just because of stress."

"Well then, maybe this will help," Maddie grinned, as she led Mary Jane into the living room and they sat down in front of the TV. "Did you know that today was actually my day off?"

"So where did you go?" Mary Jane asked, as Maddie turned on the TV and activated its TiVo function.

"It was the start of my TV career," Maddie joked, as she made a selection from the recordings.

To Mary Jane`s surprise, the recording was an episode of the TV show _Branded, _a prominent New York talk show hosted by pundit Mark Branden. Mary Jane was baffled as to why her mother would have taped an episode of the show, and became even more surprised when Branden mentioned the roster of guests for that episode, including a panel discussion on superheroes that included, among other people, Maddie Watson.

"How did you get invited on the show?" Mary Jane asked in astonishment.

"Remember when Kristy, Anna and I were kidnapped by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants?" Maddie reminded her. "It was all over the news, especially once people learned about Phillip's…'connections'," she explained, referring to Phillip Watson, her now-deceased ex-husband and Mary Jane's father, who was outed as a notorious anti-mutant activist by the Brotherhood.

"Once you exposed that sicko Vincent Gonzalez, I was contacted by the producers of Branden's show," Maddie explained. "They were looking for people to participate in a panel discussion about the impact of superheroes on the city."

Maddie fast-forwarded through to the segment where the panel discussion was held. In addition to Maddie herself, the panel included several other guests, including Senator Robert Kelly. Mary Jane grimaced, recognizing Kelly as the senator who had proposed a Superhuman Registration Act to deal with the rising rates of supervillain crime.

The debate went back and forth for several minutes, Maddie constantly and persistently supporting the presence of superheroes in New York. Eventually, the discussion led into a rather heated debate between Maddie and Senator Kelly over the benefits of the Superhuman Registration Act.

"_That lunatic Vincent Gonzalez advocated for superhuman registration," Maddie said pointedly, "and he was beating people who disagreed with him half to death. And it was a superhero who finally stopped him!" _

"_The same superhero who was responsible for putting Gonzalez down that path in the first place," Senator Kelly replied, an angry look in his eyes. "Supercharger murdered his sister because of Spider-Woman!" _

"_And how was that Spider-Woman's fault?" Maddie shot back. "I did some research before I came on this show, which is more than you can say. It turns out that this Supercharger character got his powers specifically to kill people who criticized Spider-Woman. How, exactly, was that Spider-Woman's fault?" _

"_She led him to do it," Senator Kelly replied. "Supercharger became so obsessed with her that-" _

"_You mean it's **her **fault she attracted a crazed stalker?" Maddie asked incredulously. "Was it Teri Hatcher's fault? How about John Lennon's? Maybe Jodie Foster should be in jail because that guy who tried to kill Ronald Reagan to get her attention?" _

"_But, she led him to-" Senator Kelly fumbled. _

"_Why is it always the superhero's fault?" Maddie demanded. "A supervillain causes a lot of property damage, and people blame the hero that fought him. A supervillain kills people who get in his way, and people blame the hero that couldn't get there in time. A supervillain manages to rob a bank, and people blame the hero who tried and failed to stop them. Why is it always the hero's fault?" _

"_Because the hero screwed up," Mark Branden pointed out. _

"_Oh, really?" Maddie scoffed. "When we're not yelling at superheroes for screwing up and telling them to get out of town, we're berating them for not being everywhere at once. It's a miracle that we still have people like Spider-Woman who are willing to risk their lives for us, and what do they get out of it? Insults? Threats? The risk of being jailed by the government if they don't register?" she spat, fixing an angry glare on Senator Kelly. _

"_So what's your point?" Mark Branden asked. _

"_My point is that we take superheroes for granted," Maddie pointed out. "Daredevil, Darkhawk, the X-Men, pick whichever one you like, we abuse them when they don't help us and then act like ungrateful jerks when they do. Why would somebody like Spider-Woman risk her neck to save me and my family? She didn't get paid and she didn't get thanked by most people-she did it because it was the right thing to do." _

"_After all the city's superheroes have done for us, do you think it would kill us sometimes to show a little gratitude?" Maddie asked, as Senator Kelly and the other guests looked at each other awkwardly._

"…_And that's all the time we have," Mark Branden noted. "Stay tuned, because after the break…" _

Mary Jane felt her spirits rise again, leaning against her mother, who hugged her daughter again in a warm, comforting embrace.

All of her problems seemed to fade away as she fell asleep in Maddie's arms. Despite her fatigue and her worry, Mary Jane felt a smile cross her face, a smile that came from the knowledge that she was not alone.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane goes out with Randy for the first time since the disastrous lunch date with Randy's parents, and Randy finds himself increasingly uncertain how to reconcile his feelings for Mary Jane with his love for his parents. Meanwhile, J. Jonah Jameson's fiery editorializing and the fallout from Vincent Gonzalez's public exposure lead to an expose of the appalling treatment Tarot and other mutant prisoners are facing at the raft, something that leads Tarot to even more trouble than . As much as Mary Jane might like to help, she finds that she has bigger problems when the criminal scientist Gregor Shapanka, the original Blizzard, takes a group of hostages to force Donald Gill, the second Blizzard, to fight him! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #46: Cold Shoulder!_)


	53. Cold Shoulder

Randy Robertson checked his watch as he waited on the quad of Empire State University. He was meeting his girlfriend for their first date in a couple of weeks, and he wondered where she could be. All around him, the snow on the quad was melting as the sun shone brightly. It was the last week of March, and Spring Break was next week, something that Randy and almost every other Empire State student was eagerly looking forward to.

Walking down the path, Randy looked for his girlfriend, eager to see her again. He wondered if she was running late, something that had been a constant problem for her even though she often couldn't do much about it. Still, he hoped she wouldn't be too much longer, since there were a lot of things he needed to say to her.

Randy was so preoccupied in looking for his girlfriend that he didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind him. He recoiled in surprise as his vision suddenly went dark, his eyes covered by the hands of the person who'd snuck up on him.

"Guess who, sunshine!" the bright, musical voice echoed in Randy's ears, giggling as its owner pulled her hands away from Randy's eyes. Turning around, Randy was pleasantly surprised to see his girlfriend, a beautiful young woman with long, fire-red hair, sparkling green eyes and a perfect white smile, clad in an agreeable yellow jacket that contrasted nicely with her hair, a pair of form-fitting jeans that emphasized her long, shapely legs and a pair of stylish Ugg boots on her feet.

Mary Jane Watson always looked gorgeous, of course, but the warm smile on her face always cheered Randy up. He was especially glad to see how happy she was, particularly with all the stress and crap she'd had to deal with lately.

"You look exceptionally handsome today," Mary Jane smiled at Randy.

"And you look exceptionally hot today," Randy grinned back.

"What, I don't always look hot?" Mary Jane pouted in mock hurt.

"Hey, you were the one who was implying that I don't always look handsome," Randy frowned reproachingly at Mary Jane, before they laughed and hugged.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #46

"COLD SHOULDER"

* * *

Making their way to the Coffee Bean, Mary Jane and Randy got some coffee and lunch before sitting down. They ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company, before Mary Jane finally spoke.

"How've things been?" she asked him.

"They've been good," Randy smiled back, before sipping his coffee. "School's been a grind, but what else is new?"

"Glad to hear it," Mary Jane grinned.

"How about you?" Randy asked her. "I saw you on the news fighting that Firebrand freak," he continued, referring to Mary Jane's recent battle in her superhero identity as the spectacular Spider-Woman, preventing her old enemy Firebrand from murdering his parents. "I also heard about that Vincent Gonzalez sicko, too-sounds like he's going to get what he deserved."

Mary Jane briefly frowned at that, and Randy cursed himself inwardly, wondering if he'd struck a nerve.

"I'm sorry, I-" he started.

"Don't worry about it," Mary Jane reassured him. "I just hate to think of what he did to all those people, just because they stuck up for me…"

"And because of you, now he's going to get what he deserves," Randy said quickly, kicking himself inwardly. "How have things been with your family?"

"They've been great," Mary Jane smiled, her bright mood quickly returning. "Mom's doing great these days-did you see her on TV?"

"I checked out the link you e-mailed me," Randy replied. "Frankly, I think your mom missed her calling. She should've been an anchor, or something like that. I know she'd have fit in really well at HABQ-FM," he continued, referring to the radio station where he worked.

"You should tell her that," Mary Jane smiled. "One of the reasons I wanted to meet you was to invite you to dinner on Saturday-Mom's really eager to meet you."

"Oh, really?" Randy said in surprise. "Hey, I'd love to come," he grinned, although Mary Jane caught the way his eyes briefly flickered off to the side.

"…What's wrong?" Mary Jane asked curiously, although she had an uncomfortable suspicion.

"I…tried talking to Mom and Dad about us," Randy said slowly. "I still can't quite believe what they said," he finished awkwardly.

"What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked gently, doing her best to keep herself from frowning.

Randy shifted, not quite sure of how to phrase it.

"Come on, you can tell me," Mary Jane prompted him, taking his hand in hers.

"They said they weren't sure just if you were really suitable for me," Randy explained, encouraged by the smile on Mary Jane's face. "Mom and Dad wondered if you couldn't make enough money to contribute, and if I'd just end up supporting you, because you couldn't get enough work as a model or an actress. I mean, we've only been dating for three months, and they're going on as if we're engaged!" he finished incredulously.

"Well, they sort of have a point," Mary Jane admitted.

"…What?" Randy asked in surprise.

"Well, I wasn't exactly able to make ends meet on my own," Mary Jane admitted. "I had to move back in with Mom and Aunt Anna, and I'm lucky I got that work with Desiree Vaughn-Pope. That's the first good job I've had in the last couple of months."

"Yeah, but that's because you've had to spend so much time as Spi…er, doing that 'volunteer work' you're so involved in," Randy quickly corrected himself, remembering that they were in a public place.

"That doesn't change things, though," Mary Jane reminded him. "I have responsibilities to live up to."

"Yes it does, MJ," Randy said sadly. "Mom and Dad aren't being fair to you."

"They're just looking out for you, Randy," Mary Jane tried to reassure him, seeing the frustrated look on her face, squeezing his hand more tightly. "Your parents are concerned, that's all."

"I know," Randy sighed. "That's not all it is, though-I just hate seeing you have to deal with this," he explained. "I mean, you've had to put up with so much crap already. It's not fair."

"I know it's not," she smiled back at him, "but you help me deal with it. That's all I could ask for," she smiled again, revealing that perfect white smile that made Randy's heart pound.

She leaned on him as they paid their bill and left the Coffee Bean, wrapping his arm around her as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

His support meant more to her than all her superhuman abilities ever could.

* * *

J. Jonah Jameson was never happier than when he was on the warpath. Although he didn't think any more of Spider-Woman than he did of Spider-Man, Daredevil or any of the city's other superheroes, he'd secretly been delighted when Joy Mercado had brought him the reports of how Spider-Woman had caught Vincent Gonzalez and some of his goons in the act of attacking some of the people who'd spoken out against him in Spider-Woman's defense. The police had subsequently raided the headquarters of Citizens For A Mask-Free City, and they'd found more information linking the group to a series of other violent beatings and murders of people who'd criticized Vincent Gonzalez and his hate campaign against Spider-Woman.

Recent developments had given Jameson more than enough ammunition, and now he intended to make very good use of it.

_Prisoners who get singled out for abuse, just because they're mutants. _

_People with superhuman abilities who get targeted and forced to specially register with the government because they accidentally get superhuman abilities that they never asked for. _

_People who speak out in favour of mutants and other people with superhuman powers being treated the same as everyone else-something that's one of the founding principles of our Constitution-getting beaten to within an inch of their lives just for using their right to free speech, which just happens to be __**another **__one of our Constitution's founding rights. _

_It reminds me of when the Jews were forced to wear special yellow badges in Nazi Germany, and were deprived of their property and freedom._

_It reminds me of when black people had to sit at the back of the bus, or use specially designated bathrooms, or could get hanged just because of their skin colour. _

_It reminds me of when Native people were herded onto reservations like cattle and prevented from voting. _

_Is it any coincidence that the _Superhuman Registration Act _is becoming popular, when all these things are happening? Not bloody likely-is it any coincidence that Senator Robert Kelly, who just happened to be exposed by this newspaper as having gotten major campaign contributions from anti-mutant hatemongers like the Friends of Humanity, is the biggest supporter of superhuman registration? _

_It's one thing to support the registration of masked superheroes. I've been calling for this for years. But that would only apply to Spider-Man and the rest of the costumed grandstanders who go around taking the law into their own hands. If people use their superhuman powers in their day jobs or just for their own personal amusement, then why should the rest of us care, so long as they're not hurting anyone? Besides, superhero registration would only apply to anyone who insisted on running around in a stupid costume playing hero, whether they had powers or not!_

_If anyone's out there hurting people, it's the anti-mutant bigots and superhuman registration boosters. Vincent Gonzalez made a big deal about standing up for ordinary people, but he beat many of them half to death when they used their free speech rights in ways he didn't like. Now, people like him are proposing we should bring back the old Jim Crow laws-and don't be fooled, that's what superhuman registration is-and extend them to anyone with powers, not just mutants. _

Jameson had spent the last six decades of his life fighting with the pen rather than the sword, using his fiery editorials to attack everything from segregation to Communism to political corruption. Now, despite being almost eighty-two years old, he was fighting against this new enemy with the same spirit he'd first shown as a teenager when he'd lied about his age to join the Navy and fight the Japanese after they'd destroyed Pearl Harbour.

And he was enjoying every minute of it.

* * *

The thin young woman was born Marie-Ange Colbert, although she now answered to the mutant codename of Tarot as well. Under that name, she'd previously been a supervillain who'd tried to abduct and kill many of the people who'd bullied and abused her, using her mutant powers to bring the entities of the tarot to life. She had been thwarted by the heroic Spider-Woman, however, and ended up being jailed at Riker's Island Penitentiary. She'd started out in the Raft, the supervillain wing of the prison, but had been moved into the general women's population for her own safety. Things hadn't gotten much better, however-although some of the other women inmates had come to accept her because of the tarot readings she performed for them, others tended to treat her like a mascot or had outright begun beating and abusing her.

Marie-Ange had confessed her troubles to Mary Jane Watson, among the only visitors she ever got in prison, even though there didn't seem to be much Mary Jane could do to help her. Mary Jane had tried to get the _Daily Bugle _to raise public awareness of the issue, although Marie-Ange had asked that she not be directly referred to in the article. While the _Bugle_'s articles had generated considerable attention from prisoners' rights advocates and mutant rights supporters, and considerable debate within the prison system, not much had been done yet to improve Marie-Ange's situation. To make matters worse, Marie-Ange noticed the murderous glares many of the other inmates were shooting her way.

Now, in the prison exercise yard, Marie-Ange's heart sank as she saw the four women coming towards her. The four women were all hard-bitten and vicious, longtime veterans of the prison system. They were as physically strong as any man, scarred and tattooed, they terrified both the other female inmates and the prison staff, male and female alike, and they were all advancing on Marie-Ange from different directions. Paralyzed with fear, Marie-Ange couldn't have escaped even if she'd been able to move, and now the Big Berthas, as they had nicknamed themselves with pride, had her completely surrounded.

"You just had to go and snitch, didn't you?" one of the Berthas smirked, pulling a nasty-looking shank out of her pocket.

Marie-Ange shrank under the Berthas' glare, looking like a hunted animal with nowhere left to run.

"What, you think we don't read the paper?" another one of the Berthas sneered, slipping a pair of brass knuckles onto her hand. "You think we wouldn't know you were always talking to that red-headed skank that keeps visiting you?"

"That's why it's punishment time," the first Bertha grinned. "You girls ready?"

"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?" a voice came from behind them. Turning around, the Big Berthas were surprised to see two other inmates standing behind them. The new arrivals were a pair of middle-aged women who carried themselves with the practiced ease of seasoned veterans of the prison system, and unlike everyone else in the women's wing at Riker's, they didn't seem the least bit afraid of the Big Berthas.

"Piss off," one of the Berthas sneered. "You wanna get cut too?"

The two women standing apart from the Big Berthas looked at one another, smiled and nodded. Before the Big Berthas could react, they charged forward and attacked. One of the women dropped one of the Berthas with a vicious spin kick, driving her prison-issued boot deep into the Bertha's gut. The other woman ducked the metal bar one of the other Berthas swung at her, wresting it out of her grip and then striking right back with it, hitting the Bertha in the head and knocking her senseless. The third Bertha then lunged at the first woman who'd intervened, only to find herself laying on the ground screaming as the woman broke her hand with another kick, snatched the shank the Bertha had dropped and slashed her across the arms with it. The last Bertha attacked with a knife made out of soap, but the second woman who'd intervened tossed the metal bar she was carrying and caused the Bertha to trip. The second woman easily dodged out of the Bertha's path, before picking up the soap knife that the Bertha had dropped and stabbing her in the hand with it.

Everyone else in the exercise yard sat in stunned silence, watching in amazement as the Berthas lay on the ground, bloodied and beaten. The two women who'd just flattened them then stepped over the bodies of their fallen foes and helped Marie-Ange to her feet.

"You okay, sweetie?" one of the women asked Marie-Ange.

"Yeah, I am…" Marie-Ange said. "Who are you?" she asked in amazement. "And why did you-"

"Donnie asked us to look after you," the other woman explained. "I'm his mother Lucy, and this is his Auntie Rae. We're both Gills."

At first Marie-Ange had no idea what they were talking about, but then she recalled Donald Gill, the inmate with entirely white skin and hair, one of the few people besides Mary Jane and her parents who she'd regularly interacted with in the prison. He had the ability to generate and control ice, snow and other forms of cold, embarking on an extremely short career as the supervillain Blizzard before becoming the first supervillain Spider-Woman had defeated.

"Donnie read about what happened to you in the paper, and asked us to keep an eye on you," Rae explained. "We're not afraid of the Berthas and we never were," Rae Gill smiled wickedly.

"Get the message?" Lucy Gill called out to the bystanders, who were still watching in stunned silence. "Anyone hurts this girl, they answer to us! And next time we aren't pulling our punches!"

None of the female inmates had a reply as they looked away, but the looks on their faces and the concerned mumbling they voiced made it clear that they knew what to expect if they ever messed with Marie-Ange again.

Marie-Ange herself was still completely floored by the whole affair.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked in amazement, as Rae and Lucy turned back to her.

"Like I said, Donnie asked us to look after you," Lucy replied. "He always saw you talking to that one red-headed girl that visits you-you're probably one of the few supervillains who actually gets regular visitors that don't want to fuck them. When he read in the _Daily Bugle _about how mutants like you were getting abused in prison, he asked us to look after you."

"But what if those women attack us again?" Marie-Ange said hesitantly.

"So what if they do?" Rae scoffed. "Look, honey-you're still kind of a rookie in here, so I'll fill you in. We're part of the Gill family. Riker's Island, Attica Prison and Sing-Sing are our second homes. We're drug dealers, car thieves and bank robbers. We're on a first-name basis with everyone on the New York Police Department. We're chronic jailbirds, repeat offenders and criminal lowlifes. And we're proud of it-the more times a Gill gets arrested, the more respect he or she gets from the rest of the family. We're legends in the prison system, and we're proud of it!"

"And while we might be criminal scum, we have standards," Lucy stepped in. "We don't take kindly to seeing mutants get hurt, for one. Don't worry about the Berthas coming after you again, sweetie-everyone in general population, men and women, know better than to screw with the Gills. You pick a fight with us, you better be ready to go at it street rules. It's funny how we always win those fights…"

Looking around, Marie-Ange was shocked to see how the rest of the prison population made a point of not returning the looks of Lucy and Rae Gill. When they realized she was looking at them, they soon averted their gazes from her as well.

She had a hard enough time believing that, and she had an even harder time believing the sense of safety she felt. Looking around, she knew she wouldn't be in any more danger for a long time to come, if ever.

Marie-Ange knew who she had to thank. Mary Jane Watson had clearly informed the _Daily Bugle _about the problems the mutant prisoners were experiencing in Riker's Island, and when Blizzard, alias Donny Gill, had read about it, he'd gotten his mother and aunt to protect her.

For the first time in a very, very long time, Marie-Ange smiled.

"…Thank you…" she silently whispered, feeling as though a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

* * *

Mary Jane took some grim satisfaction in reading the _Daily Bugle_'s condemnations of Vincent Gonzalez and Citizens For A Mask-Free City, not to mention its criticisms of the treatment of mutant prisoners in Riker's Island. She could only hope that Marie-Ange would be alright, and was less than happy with the realization that she could have just opened Marie-Ange up to retribution. Unfortunately, she just didn't know how else she could have hoped to help.

Sighing with the realization that she'd done all she could, Mary Jane began turning to the Entertainment section of the newspaper to see if there were any new interesting auditions coming up. That production of _Othello _that she'd auditioned for with Randy seemed to have been cancelled, and with her recent modeling work she'd recently gotten the urge to try and start auditioning for acting parts again.

All of a sudden, her spider-senses activated and she leapt up, ready for action. Just as suddenly, they switched off, leaving Mary Jane standing in confusion as she tried to figure out just why she'd jumped up. Even as she was trying to get her head together, her spider-senses suddenly switched on yet again, before turning off…again.

On and off.

On and off.

On and off.

On and off!

Mary Jane fell to her knees and held her head in her hands, screaming in pain as her spider-senses seemed to be going haywire. She was home alone, and no one responded to her cries as her spider-senses went crazy. Eventually, she was sprawled on the floor, shuddering all over as she tried to somehow get her spider-senses under control.

It finally stopped, and Mary Jane lay in a heap for several minutes before she finally staggered to her feet. Staggering into the bathroom, she vomited into the sink before getting a good look at herself in the mirror. She was pale with shock, her eyes rimmed with tears and her entire body shaking like a leaf.

Briefly washing out the sink, Mary Jane staggered back into the living room and collapsed onto the couch, wondering what could possibly be wrong with her.

* * *

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Jack O' Lantern finally flipped the switch of his device to the OFF position and leaned back, sniggering to himself. He knew Mary Jane must be a nervous wreck by now, especially having her spider-senses constantly switched on and off driving her crazy. The pumpkin-headed madman delighted in the irony that one of Mary Jane's most useful powers, her spider-senses, were so easily turned against her.

It was while testing some of his equipment that Jack O' Lantern had found the pheromones Spider-Woman had marked him with. Chemical testing had revealed their purpose to him, namely the fact that Spider-Woman could use them to track and locate anyone she marked them with. He'd also found that, with the addition of his own chemical reagent, he could gather all the pheromones she'd marked him with into one large group. He'd then placed the pheromones into a special stimulator device that he could use to block Spider-Woman's spider-senses, preventing her from locking onto them.

From there, he could deactivate the blocking, causing Mary Jane's spider-senses to suddenly lock onto them again, particularly since he was in a situation that would be of interest to her. He could cause Mary Jane to gain or lose her focus onto the pheromones with a simple flick of the switch, stimulating her spider-senses to activate against her will. There was nothing actually wrong with her powers, of course-they often activated by themselves whenever a person marked with her pheromones was in a situation of special interest to her…and who could be more interesting to her than the person who hated her most in all the world?

By suddenly blocking her ability to sense her pheromones, Jack O' Lantern could make it seem as though Mary Jane's spider-senses had suddenly stopped working. By suddenly reactivating them, he could startle her, make her react to things that weren't there, make her doubt her spider-senses and make her wonder if her powers were malfunctioning. He'd done it several times in succession just after she'd visited the doctor, where she had no doubt gotten a clean bill of health. Making her spider-senses react after that would just plant more doubts in her mind.

Now, constantly switching them on and off, Jack O' Lantern could torture Mary Jane, alias Spider-Woman, the person for whom Jack felt a hatred that stemmed from the very depths of his depraved soul, a hatred that consumed his entire being and filled him with the desire not only to destroy her, but to tear her apart, body and soul, to ruin anything and everything she held dear, until she had nothing and no one left and death was the only respite that would free her from her misery.

It had all been part of Jack O' Lantern's plan ever since he'd escaped from prison. He knew that Mary Jane would probably have been on her guard once she'd learned he'd escaped, and so he'd started with the harassing phone call to let her know that he was watching her, and that he knew where she was. That would drive her into a rage and make her look over her shoulder, particularly since she didn't know when or where he might strike, or how he might be watching her. She didn't know about the microscopic tracking device in her back that Jack O' Lantern had planted on her during one of their early battles, a device that gave Jack a detailed account of her movements and whereabouts every day of every week ever since the device had been planted on her.

The next step, once she'd had some time to cool down, was to plant the demonic jack-in-the-box in her bedroom at home. That would inflame her even more, making her realize that he'd been in her home and could strike her any time. She would, of course, be getting emotional support from her friends and family, but that hardly mattered.

The next step would be to make Mary Jane doubt herself by constantly stimulating her spider-senses, making it seem as if they were malfunctioning. She wouldn't be able to tell anyone about this without risking her secret identity, so she wouldn't be able to get help from anyone for her problems. The stimulations of her spider-senses were becoming more and more frequent, so as to make it seem as if the problem was getting worse. The thought of Mary Jane becoming increasingly stressed and upset made Jack's laughter more hysterical. He was the cat and she was the mouse, taking care to slowly torture his prey before he finally destroyed her.

Jack O' Lantern's pumpkin mask always sported a hideous demonic grin, but tonight that grin seemed especially wide. It was all so easy, he realized, particularly since he knew Mary Jane just as well as she knew herself, if not more so. She was fiery and passionate, capable of forming strong emotional attachments and reactions. When things went wrong for her, as they so often did, she was often consumed by guilt, feeling responsible for whatever happened, particularly if it hurt someone or something she cared about. She constantly struggled with her anger and her emotions, and Jack O' Lantern remembered observing just how angry and violent she'd been when she'd first become a costumed superheroine.

How strongly would Spider-Woman react if Jack O' Lantern's crimes could be tied directly back to her?

Jack O' Lantern's laughter went from hysterical to full-blown maniacal, as he realized he had the perfect cheese to capture his little mouse.

All he needed was one final list, so helpfully compiled by Vincent Gonzalez.

* * *

Mary Jane tried to put her fears at the back of her mind as she waited in line at the bank the next day. Her spider-senses seemed to be getting more and more erratic, even though Dr. Hudson hadn't found anything wrong with her except for the stress she often suffered from. Maybe that was it-was her stress causing her spider-powers to go crazy? No, she'd already considered that-even after everything she'd gone through last year, her powers had always functioned perfectly whenever she needed them.

Mary Jane was so lost in her reverie that she was caught completely off guard when the front doors of the bank were blown open by a huge wave of ice that seemed to come almost out of nowhere. She, the other customers and the employees began shivering with cold, their breath misting in the air, as they saw a whirlwind of snow start up outside through the windows. As Mary Jane and the rest of the people in the bank looked on in astonishment, a blue- and white-clad figure stepped into the bank. He was clad in a body suit of deep ice blue, with stylized snow-white gloves, boots, and mask that covered not only his head, but his shoulders and upper chest. He looked around at the people in the bank, before folding his arms in a cocky stance.

Mary Jane was floored at seeing Blizzard again. She wondered how he could possibly have gotten out of jail, before she realized that his costume was different than last time. This Blizzard, if that was who he really was, was also taller than the Blizzard she knew as Donald Gill. He carried himself with a different demeanor, and when he spoke, Mary Jane knew full well that he wasn't the costumed criminal she'd fought before.

"This is a bank, so I'm sure you're all familiar with the routine by now," the man sneered. "The name is Blizzard, and you're all my hostages."

"Blizzard?" one of the bank tellers asked. "But you're supposed to be in jail! And what's with the new costume?"

"New costume?" Blizzard asked, his voice rising in anger. "You mean that piece of white trash who plagiarized my identity? He's still in jail, you stupid cow! I'm the **real **Blizzard, the one who's fought Iron Man! I'm stronger, smarter and more powerful than Donald Gill ever was. I'm the first, the best, the only Blizzard!" he ranted, his voice becoming increasingly furious as his ranting continued.

"O…okay," the teller stammered, her teeth chattering as she moved to open one of the cash boxes. "We'll give you the money, just-"

"You think this is just about money?" Blizzard shouted back. "I don't just want the money-I want Donald Gill! I want to fight him! I want to kill him! I want to show him who the real Blizzard is! And if he doesn't show his face in twenty minutes, then I'm going to kill you all one by one until he does!"

"But Donald Gill's in jail!" Mary Jane said, making sure to put a rising sense of panic in her voice. "They won't be able to get him here in time!"

"Twenty minutes," Blizzard repeated calmly, "and I start killing one hostage for every five minutes afterward that he doesn't show."

"No, please!" Mary Jane pleaded in her best maiden-in-distress voice. "Please, don't hurt us!"

Blizzard just laughed at Mary Jane's rising sense of panic. She had judged Blizzard correctly-he enjoyed the sense of being able to lord it over his helpless hostages, knowing that he was in complete control.

"Tell you what, sweetheart," Blizzard smirked, "I'll let you go out and tell the police. I think they're probably here by now. Besides, it wouldn't do to give a pretty face like yours frostbite," he leered.

Gesturing to the bank doors, Mary Jane ran towards them and scrambled up the ramp of ice that Blizzard had used to enter the bank, making sure to breathe heavily and seem like she was trying as hard as she could not to panic. She made sure to stumble once, and then twice, before she finally got out.

The police had arrived by the time Mary Jane emerged from the bank, and she babbled out Blizzard's threats to them, playing her assigned role to perfection before she kept on running.

She'd played the part of the panic-stricken hostage, but now she had another role to play, one she was going to enjoy a lot more.

* * *

Blizzard, alias Gregor Shapanka, only laughed as he watched his hostages, none of whom were dressed for inclement weather, shiver in the bitter cold he'd generated. He only wished that Tony Stark was one of them, still bearing his former employer a grudge for firing him. Stark had nixed Shapanka's research into cryonics after Shapanka had blown off his boss's concerns about cost, and so Shapanka had embezzled the resources he needed to complete his research. However, Stark Enterprises security had found out about the theft, and Shapanka had been jailed for theft, not to mention fired by Stark.

Then again, it didn't matter too much. Shapanka consoled himself that soon enough, he would be able to kill that snotty little upstart Donald Gill, and prove once and for all that he was the true Blizzard. Just to torment his hostages, he lowered the temperature in the building even more, causing them no end of misery.

The shattering of the bank's window caught Blizzard completely off guard, as did the large spider web that suddenly sprang up between him and his hostages. One of the tellers immediately called out to the rest of the staff and the hostages, and they ran for the rear exit, no longer afraid of getting attacked by Blizzard. Most of the icicle spears and hailstones Blizzard threw at the fleeing hostages were blocked by the giant spider web, and the rest of them were shattered by the bioelectric sting blasts coming in from the side. Whirling around in a fury, Blizzard was floored to see the scarlet- and gold-clad Spider-Woman leaping at him, firing her sting blasts.

It didn't take the experienced Blizzard long to defend himself with a wall of ice and then set the ice falling at Spider-Woman. She stopped her attack short and sprang back, but as the ice wall shattered she was pummeled with several flying blocks of ice. Blizzard then followed up with a storm of hailstones, knocking her off her feet as he laughed out loud. His laughter was cut short as Spider-Woman caught his ankle with a webline and pulled him off his feet, causing him to let up his attack as Spider-Woman stood up. She fired a sting blast at him, but he rolled out of the way again and this time released a wave of snow, causing Spider-Woman to lose her balance and fall to a sitting position. Spider-Woman tried to get up, but her reactions were becoming increasingly slowed by the bitter cold. Blizzard kept up the wave of snow and eventually added in some ice, nearly encasing Spider-Woman and leaving her trapped.

"You're the one who sent Donald Gill to jail, aren't you?" Blizzard mused, as Spider-Woman struggled to break free. "So…what? You thought you could take me as easily as you did him? You didn't do your homework, kid-I've fought Iron Man to a standstill!"

"And Iron Man was still alive, the last time I checked," Spider-Woman shot back, contempt in her voice. "Since you're so obsessed with killing people like Donald Gill who crossed you, I suppose that means you've never beaten him."

Enraged at Spider-Woman's taunts, Blizzard began generating a massive scythe of ice, intending to take her head off while she was still trapped. However, he was so angry that he didn't notice Spider-Woman's hands glowing within her icy prison, and was caught completely by surprise as she blasted her way free. Blown back from the impact, Blizzard cried in pain as several large shards of ice tore into him at point-blank range. Some of the ice shards pierced right through to his body underneath, drawing blood.

Her entire body shaking with the cold and covered in bruises and cuts from Blizzard's assault, Spider-Woman didn't waste any time in hitting him with her sting blasts. The icy villain howled in pain and fell back, as some of Spider-Woman's blasts struck the ice shards in his body and conducted the energy through the ice, through the cryonic circuitry and directly into his body. There was a loud crackling sound as the cryonic circuits of Blizzard's costume shorted out, and the man himself collapsed, moaning in pain. Staggering over to him, Spider-Woman tore off Blizzard's mask and nodded in satisfaction when she realized he was still breathing. Wrapping him up in webbing, Spider-Woman emerged from the still-frozen bank and dropped Blizzard at their feet, before looking around. To her relief, she saw that the rest of the customers and staff in the bank were being treated by the paramedics, and none of them had been hurt by Blizzard's attacks.

Nodding wearily, she spun a webline and swung off to where she'd left her street clothes, wanting nothing more than to get home and take a good, long rest.

* * *

Stewing in a holding cell later that afternoon, his injuries having been treated by the paramedics, Gregor Shapanka seethed at his defeat by Spider-Woman. The little bitch had ruined everything, had prevented him from fighting and killing Donald Gill for copying his Blizzard identity. She probably wasn't even Gill's age, and she'd played him for a fool-a fool!

He tried to remain calm, but it wasn't easy, considering how damnably cold it was in the jail cell. Shapanka didn't quite understand it-at this time of year, it shouldn't have been so freezing out! Shaking his head, Shapanka only blinked a few times, before he lay back on his cot, still in pain from his battle with Spider-Woman. In his mind, he was mulling on the fact that there were now four people he needed to kill: Tony Stark, Iron Man, Donald Gill and Spider-Woman.

If there had been a mirror in his cell, Gregor Shapanka would have been surprised at the fact that his formerly brown eyes had turned a deep shade of blue and how his hair was starting to turn snow-white. If his injuries hadn't been bandaged and he wasn't wearing a prison uniform, he would have seen how his blood was turning the same color as his eyes and his skin the same color as his hair.

* * *

He'd gathered and double-checked all the information, and now everything was ready.

At last, at long, long, last, Jack O' Lantern was ready.

And for Spider-Woman, the nightmare was just beginning.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Jack O' Lantern prepares to take his final revenge on Spider-Woman when he goes on a murderous killing spree across New York City, culminating in taking his niece Kitty Pryde hostage! Consumed by rage and guilt at her inability to stop Jack's murders, Spider-Woman intervenes to stop Jack O' Lantern but soon finds the tables turned on her when Jack captures her and subjects her to the final phase of his plan! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #47: Pumpkinhead!_)


	54. Pumpkinhead

Mary Jane Watson sighed in annoyance as she looked herself over in the mirror, realizing that she was probably the only superhero in New York who had to worry about split ends. Fighting the cold-wielding Blizzard hadn't done much for her complexion, nor had the various scrapes and bruises she'd suffered from the icicles and snowballs Blizzard wielded. Granted, she'd become used to such problems ever since she'd begun fighting crime as the spectacular Spider-Woman, ranging from hiding her injuries with makeup to treating her skin and hair with the right mix of oils, creams and lotions so that she could keep up her appearance. Doing it on a budget had been even trickier, given how long she'd spent living paycheck to paycheck. Social media sites like YouTube had been a huge help, of course-many of the beauty gurus who'd made videos with makeup advice had provided her with helpful tips.

She laughed at herself for a moment, amused at how annoyed she could get over something so trivial. When compared to fighting crazed supervillains and protecting the innocent, or even just making sure to do well in her studies, being concerned with beauty and makeup hardly compared in importance. That said, Mary Jane continued to do it anyway. She did it partly because her good looks were a point of pride for her, but more particularly because it was something that never seemed to change.

Considering everything she'd been through in the last fifteen months since her spider-powers had started to develop, Mary Jane needed all the stability she could get. Even though things were much better for her than they used to be, the knowledge that her old enemy Jack O' Lantern was still on the loose, and taunted her with the fact that he could reach her any time he wanted, still gave her nightmares.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #47

"PUMPKINHEAD"

* * *

"Good morning, Mom," Mary Jane greeted her aunt as she came downstairs.

"Morning, sweetie," Maddie replied, as Mary Jane set about making some breakfast. "Have a good sleep?"

"Better than before," Mary Jane smiled, always cheered up by how well her mother was doing these days. "How about you?"

"Not that great," Maddie sighed.

"What's wrong?" Mary Jane asked in concern.

"Remember how we found out that your father was a big tax cheat, and that we were going to be responsible for the back taxes he owed?"

"I wish I could forget," Mary Jane frowned.

"Well, I got a letter from the IRS yesterday informing me just how much money we owe in back taxes," Maddie winced. "I managed to pay a lot of it off by letting them seize your father's assets, and I've been setting a lot of my own pay aside to pay it off ever since I started working again, but we're still going to be $40,000 short."

Mary Jane choked on her milk when she heard the figure.

"Forty thousand dollars?" she balked. "Where are we going to get that kind of money?"

"I wish I knew," Maddie groaned. "I honestly have no idea," she continued, seemingly to lose all of her energy at once as she slumped down at the table.

"How can you be responsible for his tax cheating?" Mary Jane asked incredulously. "Isn't there some way you can get exempted from it? I mean, you weren't involved with any of that stuff," she pointed out.

"I tried that," Maddie frowned. "The problem was that your father filled out all the tax forms, and got me to co-sign them. I applied for this thing they called 'innocent spouse relief', but I was denied. They claimed that we benefited because Philip paid to put you through school and for your first apartment even after we separated."

"He just did that to keep up appearances after he kicked us out," Mary Jane protested. "That's bullshit!"

"Don't I know it," Maddie muttered. "I just wish I knew what to do…"

"I know what I'm going to do," Mary Jane replied quietly. "I'm getting a job."

"But what about school?" Maddie asked in surprise.

"I just won't go," Mary Jane replied. "I mean, I can get another waitressing job or something like that, and do acting and modelling work in between. I've done it before, after all."

"And you gave yourself a nervous breakdown," Maddie reminded her with a frown.

"That was because I was still going to school full-time as well. Look, you guys have been letting me stay here rent-free, so it's time I paid you back."

"You've been doing all of the housework around here," Maddie reminded her daughter once again.

"So?" Mary Jane shrugged. "We can just start dividing it up again. I don't see what's so hard about this!"

Maddie just smiled sadly at that, before coming over and hugging Mary Jane tightly.

* * *

The month of April had just begun, and spring was in full bloom on the Empire State University quad. To Mary Jane, it was a welcome sight, a sign of renewal and a time to discard the old stresses and worries. Spring Break was coming up next week as well, which for most students was a wonderfully welcome time to unwind after exams.

Of course, there were most people, and then there was Mary Jane. All she could think about was somehow trying to track down Jack O' Lantern and finally bring him to justice. He could strike at anyone she cared about, at any time, and if she didn't do something…

Mary Jane was jolted out of her reverie by her friend Liz Allan calling out to her. Looking up in surprise, Mary Jane made sure to smile as Liz came over. The two girls began walking down the quad together as they talked.

"What are you doing for Spring Break?" Liz asked Mary Jane.

"I'm not really sure," Mary Jane admitted. "I'll probably just take it easy, hang out with you guys. Why, did you have something planned?"

"Harry's planning a big trip to Daytona Beach for Spring Break," Liz replied. "Didn't I tell you?"

"I might have forgotten about it," Mary Jane admitted sheepishly. "Who else is going?"

"As many people as we can bring," Liz grinned. "Kong and Kitty have said they're coming, and Kitty's seeing about maybe getting her cousin Ben Reilly to join us. Would you and Randy be up for joining us?"

"How much is it going to cost?" Mary Jane asked uncertainly.

"Harry's paying for it all," Liz smiled brightly. "He got a lot more money from selling all of his father's assets," she continued, referring to Harry's father, the infamous chemical tycoon and supervillain Norman Osborn, "and he wanted to celebrate. So, what do you say?"

"I'll have to talk to Randy," Mary Jane said truthfully, "but I don't see why we can't join you!" she continued brightly, although this time she was lying.

"Hey, that's great!" Liz grinned, before turning to walk towards the building that led to her next class. "See you then!" she called back, waving to Mary Jane.

Mary Jane waved back, a smile on her face, but she cursed herself for lying to Liz. She would have loved to join Liz and Harry on the sunny Florida beaches, and she knew that Randy would have been thrilled to be there, too. But she also knew that there was no way she could leave New York so long as Jack O' Lantern was on the loose, particularly when he could just as easily massacre anyone and everyone she cared for while she was off playing in Florida.

Mary Jane knew that Jack O' Lantern was going to strike, and she knew that she had to be ready when he did.

* * *

Harold and Sierra Weston were forced to watch their son be slowly killed by choking to death from the poisonous gas of his pumpkin grenade, before they were decapitated by the energy bolts of his wrist blasters.

Roger Petersen had been smothered by his ghost grabber.

Hiroshi Suzumiya was torn into a bloody mess by his clawed gauntlets.

Mario Calamino was forced to swallow his exploding miniature pumpkin grenade, his wife had her head torn off by his unearthly strength and their daughters were slowly burned to death by low-intensity blasts from his wrist blasters.

Jack O' Lantern had been laying low ever since he escaped from prison, but he had returned to the scene with a vengeance. He felt almost euphoric as he went on a bloody killing spree, reveling in the pain and horror he was inflicting on his victims, his hysterical laughter blending with their screams of terror and their pleas for mercy. He was a storm of murder and destruction, always staying several steps ahead of the police and any superheroes that might have been trying to catch him, even though he was committing his murders in broad daylight. Nothing and no one seemed to be able to stop him as he left gore and death in his wake.

Now, more than ever, he truly felt alive.

* * *

Word of Jack O' Lantern's rampage had spread like wildfire through the media, and Kitty Pryde had felt a distinct sense of panic when she'd heard about it. She possessed a unique perspective on the matter, given that Jack O' Lantern was really her maternal uncle, Steven Mark Levins. Kitty was all too aware of the threats Jack O' Lantern had made against his relatives in particular, and she was frantically running home to try and do something, anything, to protect them.

She couldn't help but freeze at the cackling laughter she heard looming from up above, and screamed as she saw the razor-edged boomerang bats flying towards her. Instinctively activating her mutant phasing powers, Kitty let the bats fly through her as she kept running, but she stopped once again as the energy blast ripped through the pavement in front of her.

Looking up, she saw what was, to her, the most terrifying sight in the world. Riding a hover platform ringed with what looked like human skulls, his boots and gauntlets resembling human bones, the chestplate on his armor crafted to look as if it was covered in tiny skulls, and his head a nightmarish flaming pumpkin with a demonic leer, Jack O' Lantern loomed over his niece. He was splattered with gore and blood from his gruesome "pleasure", and his bone-chilling laughter pierced Kitty's ears, terrifying her to her very soul.

"_What's the matter?" _Jack O' Lantern rasped gleefully. _"Nothing to say to your dear old uncle? I thought we were closer than that!" _

"Stay away from me!" Kitty screamed, turning to run, but she found herself suddenly entangled by the ghost grabber Jack O' Lantern threw down to entrap her. She tried phasing through it, but to her horror she found that her phasing powers were useless against the infernal device. She screamed again as she was electrocuted by the grabber, as Jack O' Lantern's cackling reached a new level of insanity. Helpless and unable to escape, she was lifted into the air as Jack O' Lantern took to the skies, ready for the final phase of his plan.

* * *

Looking forward to a relaxing Saturday, Mary Jane had spent most of the morning and the early part of the afternoon relaxing and studying for exams. Her mother Maddie and Aunt Anna were visiting some friends, and her cousin Kristy was at a sleepover, so she had the place to herself. It hadn't taken her long to heal from her fight with Blizzard, and she was looking forward to a day of peace and quiet. She intended to start the hunt for Jack O' Lantern the next day, but for now she needed to unwind.

Unfortunately, when she booted up her computer after finishing her studying, Mary Jane's blood ran cold when she saw the headlines on the website that she'd set as her browser's default site. Her old enemy Jack O' Lantern had returned, and he had gone on an insane killing spree that no one seemed able to stop, before kidnapping Kitty Pryde. Mary Jane felt a rising sense of horror as she read through the article, and realized just how familiar the names of many of Jack's victims were. They were the same people Vincent Gonzalez and his gang of thugs had targeted for criticizing him and supporting her. They'd passionately spoken up in her defense, had been violently attacked by Gonzalez and his men, and now they were all dead.

They had been murdered because they'd admired and supported her.

It was her fault they were dead.

All of Mary Jane's old anger came roaring back as her cold shock turned into white-hot fury.

She recalled the violence and trauma these people had already suffered at the hands of Gonzalez and his thugs.

She recalled the angry, accusing glares Randy had given her when he'd learned that Jack O' Lantern knew her secret identity.

She recalled the way Jack O' Lantern had nearly killed her Aunt Anna and sixty other people, as well as all the other people he'd successfully murdered, because she'd hadn't lived up to her responsibilities and captured Jack O' Lantern the first time she'd fought him.

She recalled the way her father had used to treat her mother Maddie like a punching bag, cheating on Maddie before throwing her and Mary Jane out of the house because Mary Jane wasn't able to protect her mother.

She recalled all the accusations Vincent Gonzalez had thrown at her about how many people had died because she hadn't been able to stop the supervillains from killing them.

She recalled all the burned and dead victims of Supercharger's crazed rampages, people he'd murdered to force her to fight him.

She recalled the harassing phone call Jack O' Lantern had made to her, reminding her that he always knew where she was, and was always watching.

She recalled the demonic, grinning jack-in-the-box Jack O' Lantern had planted in her bedroom, entering her home, just to let her know he could do so any time he felt like it.

She recalled how her spider-senses seemed to be malfunctioning, before realizing that Jack O' Lantern must have been somehow manipulating them to make her doubt herself.

Pure anger had taken over as Mary Jane changed into her Spider-Woman costume, and she suddenly felt her spider-senses reactivate. In her mind, the signal was as clear as a bell, and she knew exactly where to go to finally deal with Jack O' Lantern once and for all.

It was her fault that this monster was still on the loose, and it was her fault that all his victims were dead. They'd supported her and believed in her, and she'd let them down.

She could imagine what Kitty Pryde was going through, knowing all too well what Jack O' Lantern was capable of.

It was her fault that Kitty was suffering, and it was her responsibility to end it.

It was her fault, and it was her responsibility to set things right.

And make Jack O' Lantern pay.

* * *

Her spider-senses led Spider-Woman into the maze of tunnels beneath New York City, and finally to one particular abandoned subway station that Jack O' Lantern was using as a lair. She knew he was here-his sickening, twisted laughter echoed through the tunnels, and the very air itself seemed to reek of his cruelty and hatred. Soon, she emerged into a large room, bare except for rubble and debris, and a large pair of double doors that stood to her left.

Easily pulling the doors open, Spider-Woman charged in, screaming Jack O' Lantern's name angrily. She heard a plaintive, muffled cry, and spun around to see Kitty suspended in a large iron cage hanging from the ceiling, entrapped in one of Jack O' Lantern's ghost grabbers. She sprang forward, but was suddenly stopped by a massive wall of steel that emerged from the ground and rose all the way up to the ceiling, completely entrapping her.

Not deterred in the least, Spider-Woman began pounding on the steel wall, but stopped and looked up when she heard the hissing sound. Gas was filling the confined space, causing Spider-Woman to cough and hold her breath as she continued trying to break through the wall. Her punches didn't work, her sting blasts were useless, and even swinging into and kicking the steel wall with a webline didn't work.

Spider-Woman was climbing to the top of the ceiling to try and tear the wall away where it connected with the ceiling when she was no longer able to hold her breath. Coughing and gagging from the gas, Spider-Woman lost her grip on the wall and fell back to the ground. Everything seemed to spin all around her, as Jack O' Lantern's laughter resumed. Her vision began swimming in and out of focus as she looked up at the wall. A TV monitor was built into the steel wall, displaying a picture of the room outside. Kitty was still suspended in her iron cage, and Jack O' Lantern himself had appeared, laughing hysterically.

Spider-Woman tried to stand up again, but now she felt her anger being replaced by a growing sense of fear and panic. Jack O' Lantern's laughter echoed in her ears as she felt a horrible presence, a certain indescribable **something **that she knew was approaching and that she was powerless to fight back against.

That was when the nightmare began.

* * *

"What are you doing to her?" Kitty screamed, almost out of her mind with fear as she saw what was happening to Spider-Woman.

"_Showing her the truth about herself," _Jack O' Lantern leered, smiling widely behind his pumpkin mask as he watched his most hated of enemies suffer. _"Tell me, have you ever read the Sherlock Holmes stories?" _

Kitty only stared back in silence, too horrified to respond.

"_They were all true, you know,"_ Jack O' Lantern continued, turning back to look at Spider-Woman through the two-way monitor into her steel prison. _"Every one of them really happened. Arthur Conan Doyle merely acted as Dr. Watson's literary agent. One in particular was called The Adventure of the Devil's Foot, where Holmes and Watson investigated a particularly gruesome scene. Two men were found driven stark raving mad, while a woman was struck dead with pure fright. Holmes eventually discovered that they were poisoned with _Radix pedis diaboli_, or 'devil's-foot root', as it was more generally known."_

Kitty was trying very hard to avoid sobbing in fear.

"Devil's-foot root is a herb from Africa, that the Africans used only in the direst criminal punishments," Jack O' Lantern said, the sickening grin on his pumpkin mask seeming to grow wider. "Anyone unlucky enough to breathe in the fumes the root gives off when it's burnt starts to suffer from nightmarish hallucinations that will either drive them mad with fear, or simply kill them, if they aren't strong enough to resist the fumes."

"You're insane," Kitty barely managed to whisper, although Jack O' Lantern heard her loud and clear.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Jack O' Lantern replied, before he began cackling hysterically as Kitty broke down sobbing.

"_Oh, it's not so bad, Kitty,"_ Jack leered once he'd calmed down. _"You see, with my knowledge of biochemistry I altered the properties of the devil's-foot root a little bit. Spider-Woman isn't going to die from my little concoction. No, I have other plans for her!" _

Kitty shuddered all over, trying desperately to phase through Jack O' Lantern's ghost grabber and the cage she was trapped in, but she was completely helpless.

"_The problem with your generation is that so many of you have so little fire, so little spirit," _Jack O' Lantern grinned. _"Spider-Woman was different. When she first started out, she was so full of anger, brutalizing her enemies and nearly hurting so many innocent bystanders with her recklessness. But then she got soft, she started getting control of herself, and she put more emphasis on protecting weak, pathetic wastes of skin like you. Karen and Jennifer did such a poor job raising you, they snuffed out any hope I might have had for you, Ben and all the rest," _Jack continued, referring to his sisters Karen and Jennifer, and all the children they'd had.

"_But now, with the help of my little root, I'm bringing Spider-Woman back to who she truly is. She tries to deny it, but you could see it in the way she acted when she came in here, so full of rage and hate. You see, Kitty, I'm not getting any younger, and I could do with someone to pass my legacy on to. And who better to inherit my mantle than the person I hate most in all the world, the person who dared to interfere with my fun, the person who I've broken beyond recognition?" _

"_It's beginning, Kitty," _Jack O' Lantern smiled broadly, as Spider-Woman slumped down on the floor of her steel prison and seemed to pass out. _"The first part of my greatest triumph. Nothing, and no one, is going to be able to stop me! And with my new little heir by my side, New York's going to be mine for the taking!" _

Kitty tried to shut out Jack O' Lantern's insane, maniacal laughter by closing her ears, but the laughter pierced through her hands as if they were nothing. The laughter pierced her mind and soul, sending shivers down her spine and making her feel like she was trapped in a nightmare.

A forever nightmare, one with no beginning and no end.

"_HaaHAAHHaaahAAAHaaahhhaaahHA ahhaHHHAAAAHAHAHAha!" _

(_**Next Issue:**_ Kitty Pryde is not the only one suffering a nightmare, as Spider-Woman falls victim to the hallucinations of Jack O' Lantern's poisons. As she falls victim to all her old anger, guilt and self-doubt, can she possibly hope to survive Jack O' Lantern's assault on her very identity? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #48: Breakdown!_)


	55. Breakdown

Jack O' Lantern had to admit, the Trapster did excellent work. The Trapster was known for his ability to construct lairs and hideouts on very short notice, often riddling them with highly effective booby traps that earned him his official nickname. After he'd escaped from the Raft, that wing of Riker's Island Prison that was used to contain supervillains, Jack had contracted the Trapster to design a hideout for him in this abandoned subway station beneath New York City. It might have been a risk to let the Trapster know where he was, and invite him to construct this lair, but the Trapster was like fellow criminal technologists the Fixer and the Tinkerer in that none of them ever revealed confidential information about their clients, even to other clients.

The Trapster's work had been worth every penny that Jack O' Lantern had paid him, money looted from the many innocent and not-so-innocent people Jack had murdered over the course of his brief but extremely intense supervillain career. He was a terrifying sight, wearing a costume whose gauntlets and boots resembled skeletal limbs, whose chest guard was crafted to look like it was covered in tiny human skulls and whose head was a hideously carved pumpkin head glowing with holographic fire. Jack O' Lantern had only been on the scene for about a year, but he'd already become known as one of New York's most terrifying costumed criminals, even for a city already infested with costumed psychopaths, sadists and monsters.

On one of his earliest outings, Jack O' Lantern had been opposed by the spectacular Spider-Woman, a costumed superheroine who'd begun her career only a few months before Jack had started his. That initial battle had sparked a frenzied hatred in Jack O' Lantern, a hatred of the person who'd dared to interfere with his depraved, perverted 'fun', a hatred of the person who Jack believed personified everything he hated about humanity. Jack O' Lantern and Spider-Woman became caught in an increasingly intense blood feud, clashing several more times over the next year until Spider-Woman had finally defeated the pumpkin-headed madman.

That was far from the end of it, though. Jack O' Lantern had discovered Spider-Woman's true identity as Mary Jane Watson, and once he'd escaped from prison he'd begun a carefully orchestrated plan to destroy her. Like no other of Spider-Woman's enemies, Jack O' Lantern could get inside her head. By playing on her anger and guilt, threatening her loved ones and reminding her that he knew who she really was and could strike at any time, Jack O' Lantern had made Spider-Woman increasingly uncertain and angry until she was finally in the right state of mind for the final phase of his plan.

Jack O' Lantern had kidnapped Kitty Pryde, his mutant niece and one of Mary Jane's closest friends, to use as bait to lure Spider-Woman here. In her heightened emotional state, Spider-Woman had let her guard down, and she'd fallen into the trap Jack had set for her. Now, he was exposing her to the fumes of _Radix pedis diaboli, _or "devil's foot root", a highly potent poison that caused horrible hallucinations, mental breakdowns and even death in anyone unlucky enough to breathe in the fumes it gave off when it was burned.

Now, everything was in place.

It was time.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #48

"BREAKDOWN"

* * *

Spider-Woman seemed to have passed, out, but she slowly rose, fear and panic filling her mind as she struggled to get to her feet. Holding her head in her hands, she shuddered as she felt a horrible presence in the room, a certain indescribable _something _that she knew was coming, and that she knew she could not fight back against. The fumes of the devil's foot root seemed to take on strange yet maddeningly familiar shapes, even as Jack O' Lantern's mad laughter continued to echo in her ears.

Then the nightmare began. Spider-Woman was surrounded by babbling, laughing skeletons that danced in a circle around her, even as laughing jack o' lanterns formed themselves out of the ground and flew into the air before exploding in a chorus of further laughter. Crying ghosts flew in the air around her, as grotesquely malformed bat creatures flew through the air in strange, unnatural patterns, horribly croaking toads dangling from their claws.

Above it all, Jack O' Lantern loomed out of the darkness, the perverted master of ceremonies. At first, she saw him in his true identity of Steven Mark Levins, who she'd originally met as the maternal uncle of her friends Kitty Pryde and Ben Reilly, before he shifted into his costumed form of Jack O' Lantern. He stared intently into her eyes, laughing madly before his head exploded in a gout of dark-red flame. Bizarrely, his head began to regrow, only this time it was the head of her father, the violent, abusive Philip Watson.

Memories came flooding back to her.

The first, when she was a little child.

_"Phillip, please, don't worry! The loss of the Utrecht account isn't the end of the world-we'll figure something out, I know we will!" Maddie Watson tried to comfort her distraught husband, putting a hand on his shoulder. _

_"__**Shut up!**__" Phillip roared, rising from his desk and striking her across the face. "Do you even realize how long I spent working on this?" he continued, slapping her again. "You don't even know how many favors I called in to get the inside track with Utrecht! And then Simon turns around and stabs me in the back! The same way it's always fucking been!"_

_Sitting down, he took a long, hard pull at the bottle of beer he had taken to comfort his sorrows. _

_"Phillip-" Maddie began. "We'll find a way, we always do-" _

_"Don't insult me!" Phillip shouted, striking again. "You're not the one who has to put up with those sons of bitches, laughing behind your back! They always screw me over like this! And what about you?" he demanded, shoving Maddie back against the wall. "Ever since __**she **__came along," Phillip snarled, spitting out the word as if it were an epithet, even as he pointed at the six-year old Mary Jane, "it's all I can do to keep us from losing the goddamn house!"_

_"Phillip," Maddie began. _

_Her husband's next blow knocked her to the floor. _

_Of course, as Mary Jane recalled, Phillip never looked at her, even when he pointed at her._

Another memory, this one when she was a little older.

_"Dad?" the ten-year old Mary Jane asked her father as she walked into his office. _

_ "What the hell do you want?" Philip asked sourly, looking down disapprovingly at his only child. _

_ "Is it true what you said on the phone?" she asked him. _

_ "You're listening in on my phone conversations?" Philip scowled, his cheeks flushing in anger. _

_ "Is it true that you wish you really wanted a son?" she asked him, shrinking back from his anger. _

_ "Of course it is," Philip replied without missing a beat. "I was supposed to have a boy, a son who could carry on my name! You ruined everything when you came along, Mary Jane! You were an accident! AN ACCIDENT!" he roared, rising up from his desk. Mary Jane cowered and tried to back away, but Philip backhanded her across the face and knocked her flat on her back. _

_ "Get out!" he shouted as she ran away. "Get out of my sight! You're a disgrace! A disgrace!" _

Another memory, from when she was about seventeen and Philip was about to kick her and her mother out of the house.

_"You want to know why I cheated on your mother?" Phillip asked Mary Jane. "Why I've done it before, and why I'll do it again?"_

_Mary Jane merely stared back at him, an angry scowl on her face. _

_"All my life, for as long as I can remember, I wanted a son. I wanted someone who could carry on my name, who I could be proud of. Instead, I had you," he explained coldly. "I've been trying to have another son ever since. And so far, I've failed. At this rate, I'll never succeed." _

_"You…" Mary Jane did her level best to stay calm, but inwardly she was seething with rage._

_"It makes me sick to think that you're the only thing I'm going to leave this world," Phillip replied. "And to think, I could have had the child I always wanted, instead of the one I actually got." _

All that pain and that rage, everything Mary Jane remembered from her childhood, came flooding back from seeing Philip's hateful, scowling face again.

* * *

Trapped in an iron cage hanging from the ceiling, unable to use her mutant powers to phase free because of the phase-proof ghost grabber Jack O' Lantern had wrapped her in, Kitty Pryde could only watch in horror on the TV monitor that displayed what was happening to Spider-Woman in the chamber that was now filled with the devil's foot root fumes. Jack O' Lantern was in fact her maternal uncle, Steven Mark Levins, although no one in the family had been aware of Levins's true colors until he'd been exposed as Jack O' Lantern after his defeat by Spider-Woman.

_"Have you ever wondered what it would be like, Kitty?" _Jack O' Lantern replied without looking at Kitty, ignoring her pleas as he kept his gaze fixed on the monitor. _"To not only destroy someone's life, but to destroy their mind, their sense of self, their very identity? Tearing it apart, breaking it down, piece by piece? Because that's what I'm doing to Spider-Woman. She's built herself up with so many lies and so much bullshit, the things I hate most about her and about all the world, and she's used that as the basis for who she is. This is where I burn it all away, and show her the truth about herself." _

_ "The devil's foot root is just a catalyst, my dear, the thing that opens the floodgates," _Jack O' Lantern explained, in a cold, clinical calm that Kitty found even more bone-chilling than his frenzied rants and cackling. _"I've been undermining her for weeks now, showing her that wherever she goes, I'm always there with her, watching and waiting, and that I can strike at any time. Everything she's told herself falls apart under that, Kitty, and she tries to deny it by striking back at me." _

_ "But I know it's not true," _Jack O' Lantern continued, his gaze never leaving the monitor. _"All of Spider-Woman's pathetic little delusions are nothing compared to my showing her the truth about herself, that everything she's fought for, everything she's built her entire sense of worth and being around, is a lie. She'll realize that she's nothing, that she's worse than nothing!"_

* * *

Philip, dressed as Jack O' Lantern, faded after that, replaced by an image of a spider. Spider-Woman knew what it symbolized, and how it represented her initial desire to spite her father and his hatred of mutants and superheroes. When her powers first manifested, she'd thought she had been a mutant, before the X-Men had informed her otherwise. As Spider-Woman, Mary Jane had begun fighting crime, but a long series of disasters, failures and tragedies had ensued.

_Spider-Woman advanced on the unconscious criminal, intending to web him up for the police, but then the bystanders all around her came to block her path._

_"What the hell's wrong with you?" one man snapped at her._

_"You almost took my head off with that piece of metal you threw!" a woman cursed her._

_"You could have killed us!" another man shouted._

_Blinking in surprise, Spider-Woman seemed to register the people around her for the very first time. She looked around in amazement at the wreckage all around her, the dents in the wall from where she had thrown the debris, the damage done by her sting blasts, and the shaken, angry people._

_Faster than anyone could react, she spun a web and swung out the front doors. By the time anyone could get there to look for her, Spider-Woman was gone._

That was from when she'd fought Polestar for the first time, and had very nearly killed many innocent bystanders with her recklessness.

_The Constrictor turned on the lights to get a better look at his victims, and he raised his eyebrows as he got a good look at Spider-Woman for the first time._

_"So young," he mused, as he jolted Spider-Woman again. "Are you even out of high school, child?"_

_"What…why…why are you asking?" Spider-Woman slurred at him, still woozy from being slammed into the wall and from the shocks he had given her._

_"Because I am curious to know just how long you have been operating as a costumed heroine, my dear," the Constrictor informed her. "I do not pretend to know what motivates you to engage in such a perilous activity, nor would I care to. But from your actions here tonight, it is clear that you are rather more inexperienced than the likes of Spider-Man, Daredevil or Captain America, all of whom I have battled over the course of my career."_

_"To that end, I would warn you of the perils of your chosen path as a costumed adventurer. I wonder whether, in your youth and inexperience, you had considered these possibilities when you first donned your costume, and just how dangerous our chosen profession can be."_

_The coils pinning Phil Urich suddenly came to life, wrapping around his head and neck as Spider-Woman frantically struggled to free herself, only to be shocked once again. She could only watch in horror as the coils rapidly turned Phil's head almost completely around, breaking his neck with a sickening crunch._

_"My motivation for dressing the way I do is money," the Constrictor continued flatly as he recalled his coils, freeing Spider-Woman and Phil's lifeless body, which both slumped to the floor. "It's why I use these electrical coils, and why I use the devices that disabled Ben Urich's burglar alarms and unlocked his front door. My advice to you, young one," he told her as she crawled over to Phil's body and helplessly tried to revive him, tears in her eyes, "would be to consider precisely why you wear your costume, and what you hope to accomplish by wearing it. As I have shown you, this life is far more dangerous and far less glamorous than you have presumably imagined," he finished, making his way out the door as Spider-Woman sat down next to Phil Urich's corpse, her head in her hands._

_She vaguely remembered phoning the police and making up some brief statement about how she had seen the Constrictor enter the house on her nightly patrols, and suspected he was up to no good, before she had swung off into the night, taking a long, circuitous route around the city before returning to her apartment several hours later._

_She stumbled into the bathroom still in her costume, tearing off her mask before pausing to look at her various bruises, contusions and electrical burns. She then stared blankly into the mirror for several minutes, before she vomited into the sink, ambled into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed without changing out of her uniform._

That was from when she'd completely and totally failed in her responsibility to protect Phil Urich.

_Dropping the unconscious Supercharger in front of the police, Spider-Woman walked past them to see the carnage Supercharger had wrought to lure her out. Burned bodies, destroyed displays, parents mourning their children, children mourning their parents, Christmas presents destroyed, all around her the holidays had become a nightmare. Her mind reeled at the horror, tears forming underneath her mask as she realized what Supercharger had done._

_All around her, the mourning victims looked up at her, some of them with gratitude, and others with anger._

_"This is your fault!" one man shouted, cradling the body of his badly injured wife._

_"That maniac killed my son because of you!" a woman shouted, her eyes red from crying._

_"I…" Spider-Woman trailed off, almost too horrified to move._

_"She saved us from that maniac!" another woman interrupted the first. "He would have killed us all if Spider-Woman hadn't stopped him!"_

_"Bullshit!" the first woman snapped. "He didn't kill your son!"_

_"No, he killed my daughter!" the second woman scowled._

_"And you're just letting her go?" the first woman asked incredulously._

_"It wasn't her fault!" the second woman insisted._

_Arguments were flaring up all around her, and Spider-Woman knew that her presence wasn't helping things. Springing into the air, she swung off to where she had hidden her elf uniform, doing her best to hold back the tears._

_Returning to the half-destroyed Santa display in her elf uniform, Mary Jane didn't even notice that her many bruises, cuts and electrical burns made her blend in with the other badly injured survivors of Supercharger's attack. All she could think about was the fact that Supercharger had come here to try and kill her, and in so doing murdered at least a dozen people._

_Worst of all were the crying children gathered in a small huddle near the display. One little boy was crying for his mommy and daddy, while another looked sadly at his father being taken away by the paramedics. Some of the other mall employees, as well as some of the customers and police officers, were already starting to distribute candy canes and hot chocolate to the kids. As the children ate, the adults sat down next to them, keeping them company until their family members-or in the worst cases, Child Services-could come and take them home._

_Mary Jane did the same thing, passing out some cookies and cocoa to a group of worried-looking siblings who were holding one another._

_It was all she could do._

Supercharger, the psychotic stalker whose sick "love" with Spider-Woman had turned to murderous hate after she'd condemned him, had gone on a rampage that killed many innocent people to force her to fight him. All of those bystanders had lost their loved ones during the Christmas holidays, which were supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year.

_'__IT'S ALL SPIDER-WOMAN'S FAULT'__, __SUPERVILLAIN VICTIM SAYS_

_Shocked by what she read, Mary Jane clicked on the link and read about Vincent Gonzalez, how Supercharger had murdered his sister Michelle, and how his family had fallen apart after that. Aghast, she read about how Vincent considered it her fault that Supercharger had murdered first all the people who'd criticized her online, and then all the people at Macy's Department Store to force her to fight him. According to Vincent, Supercharger would never have done those things if not for Spider-Woman._

_"He got powers so he could express his sick love for her," Gonzalez was quoted as saying. "Supercharger wouldn't have done that if Spider-Woman hadn't led him on the way she did." _

_The article concluded by describing the website Vincent had launched, dedicated to expressing how much he hated Spider-Woman, and provided a link to the site itself._

_Clicking on the link, Mary Jane was taken to a website that reiterated many of Vincent's points about the chaos perpetrated by the likes of Jack O' Lantern and Supercharger being Spider-Woman's fault, the lack of control she'd displayed in her early fights, and how much Vincent wanted to make her life hell the same way she'd supposedly done to his._

_If you've lost a loved one because of Spider-Woman, __Vincent had written, __then post here and tell me just how much you hate her. Tell me what you'd like to do to her, how you'd like to pay her back for what she's done to you. Let her know just how you feel, and show that stupid bitch the truth about her pathetic, miserable life. _

_Reading through the comments, Mary Jane felt an equal amount of horror and rage rising up within her. Many of the comments went even further than Vincent's, calling Spider-Woman a bitch, a whore, and even more vulgar names related to her gender. Some of them described, in sickeningly graphic detail, what they would have liked to do to her if they could._

That came from the hate campaign Vincent Gonzalez had directed against her.

* * *

"_It won't be long now before she has her breakdown," _Jack O' Lantern seemed to grin behind his pumpkin mask as he watched Spider-Woman on the monitor. _"She's reflecting on all the times she's failed, all the times she's let people down, all the times she just made things worse." _

"_Oh yes, it's time!" _Jack O' Lantern exulted, revelling in the sick feeling he got from realizing that his most hated of enemies was completely at his mercy, and that all of his work, all of his plans, were finally coming to fruition.

He started to laugh again, a slow, menacing giggle that eventually began to grow into a higher-pitched cackling and finally the loud, insane howling that Kitty heard in her nightmares.

* * *

That laughter was carried through the speakers, which Jack O' Lantern had turned on, into the chamber where Spider-Woman was trapped. If Kitty heard Jack O' Lantern's laughter in her nightmares, Spider-Woman heard it all the more often in **her **nightmares. The spider had faded from her vision now along with her other memories, replaced only by a leering, laughing pumpkin head, laughing insanely as still more memories flooded through her mind.

Memories of Jack O' Lantern setting off a firebomb in the bank he was robbing.

Memories of Jack O' Lantern slashing the throat of the man who'd tried to help Spider-Woman during their battle at the Plaza Hotel.

Memories of Jack O' Lantern murdering her father Philip in cold blood after she'd failed to stop him.

Memories of Mary Jane's Aunt Anna and all the other people being held hostage by Jack O' Lantern.

Memories of Jack O' Lantern revealing to Spider-Woman that he knew her true identity.

Memories of Jack O' Lantern calling her to let her know that he was watching her, that he knew where she was, that he could strike anywhere and at any time.

Memories of Jack O' Lantern entering her house and leaving the jack-in-the-box that brutally drove that message home.

Memories of Jack O' Lantern and the dozens of people he'd murdered, many of whom he'd killed because they were supporters of Spider-Woman, and that she'd failed to protect.

Spider-Woman heard the pumpkin head speaking. Even though its words were blurry and indistinct, its message was all too clear as it pointed out the misery she'd caused, how everything she'd struggled for was a failure, and everything she believed was built on a lie.

Soon, it all came crashing down.

Spider-Woman had nearly gotten to her feet, but she fell back against the wall and slumped down to a sitting position. She tried to get up again, but this time she fell to her hands and knees and remained in that position.

She simply had nothing left.

* * *

Realizing that his work was done, Jack O' Lantern turned to a control panel on the wall and entered a command to remove the gas. Once that was done, he entered into the chamber, eyeing Spider-Woman carefully. She did not move from her position as he entered, and barely reacted as he grabbed her arm and forced her to her feet. Making sure that his body was blocking the monitor, he reached out with his free hand and lowered Spider-Woman's mask to get a good look at her.

Anyone else looking at Spider-Woman would have been stunned to see the dead look on her face. Her expression was blank and calm, and her eyes reflected none of the inner spark or passion that had defined them for so long.

Jack O' Lantern gave a satisfied smile and replaced Spider-Woman's mask. Her spirit was broken beyond redemption, he knew, and she would be receptive to his words.

"_The truth hurts, doesn't it?" _Jack O' Lantern rasped to Spider-Woman, who continued to stare blankly ahead. _"That's the difference between you and me-I realize what a sick, fucked up world this is, and I don't try to pretend that it's anything other than that. Every time you tried to pretend that anything you did mattered, every time you tried to protect those snivelling little hypocrites out there, you were lying to yourself. You had the power and the ability to crush anyone who stood against you, and the motive to do it…and you wasted it all. How ironic that it took me, of all people, to show you just how stupid you really were." _

"_But this is where it all ends," _the pumpkin-headed psychopath continued. _"Now that I've shown you just what this world is like, you'll regain your old fire, all the anger and hate that defines what you really are. Nothing, and no one, can stop us!" _he exulted, as Kitty only sobbed faintly in the next room.

* * *

Spider-Woman just stood there blankly, listening to Jack O' Lantern's words.

Jack O' Lantern's words, everything he'd shown her, had all but overwhelmed her mind.

It all just made so much sense…

…but that was when she heard the call.

It was a faint voice, seeming to linger on the verge of her mind, pleading for help.

Behind Spider-Woman's mask, her eyes flickered as she tried to ignore the voice.

Jack O' Lantern clearly hadn't heard the voice, and neither had Kitty, apparently. They were both still acting the same way as before.

Jack O' Lantern's revelations still weighed heavily on her mind, but now she felt something pushing back, something that stubbornly refused to give in against the numbness Jack O' Lantern's words had driven her into.

The mental tug-of-war continued for several moments, until a crack appeared in the numbness.

A memory slipped through, unbidden.

_"It's funny," Mary Jane smiled sadly. "I used to hate him, I used to want to see him get what he deserved for everything he did, but now I just feel so...I mean, you pretty much summed it up," she finished._

_"Hey, that's normal," Grandpa Lieber assured her. "Lots of people have mixed emotions about just about everything."_

_"Yeah, but it's more than that…" Mary Jane trailed off._

_"How do you mean?" Grandpa Lieber asked._

_"…Where does it all end?" Mary Jane asked, a faraway look in her eyes. "People are still getting killed by these sick gang wars. Criminals and supervillains might get defeated and hauled off to prison, but most of them just end up getting out again. This gang war might have stopped, but as soon as one of those crime lords thinks he can get a leg up, he's just going to start it all over again. More people die, more lives are ruined, and the criminals just go back to jail until the next time they get out."_

_Grandpa Lieber hesitated on that one._

_"You still have people dying because they can't afford to get proper food or health care," Mary Jane continued. "Oil spills still pollute the oceans, mutants and gays still run the risk of getting killed just for being who they are, and people still abuse their loved ones. I know I shouldn't…I really do…but sometimes I can't help but wonder what the point of it all is, with the way the world is."_

_"In that case," Grandpa Lieber wondered, "what's the point of even doing anything at all? Why bother, if it won't really change anything in the long run?"_

_"Well, I never said-" Mary Jane tried to reply._

_"See, that's the thing," her grandfather smiled. "No one can solve all the world's problems. There are more issues than anyone can resolve in a lifetime. But that doesn't prevent us from trying to make the world at least a little better, right?"_

_Mary Jane looked at him curiously._

_"Everything everyone can do as an individual can either make things better, or make them worse," Grandpa Lieber reminded her. "Anyone who stands up for mutant rights, or who tries to donate money or time to charity, or who tries to protect someone else from a criminal or a bully, helps out in their own ways. Each of those actions might not mean a whole lot by themselves, but when they all add up they make the world a lot better off than it could otherwise be."_

_"And people often don't fully realize the good they do, do they?" Mary Jane smiled._

_"Who says wisdom only has to come with age?" Grandpa Lieber chuckled. "No, that's something I've always believed in. Racists, murderers, supervillains and the like are always going to exist, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't do some good in the meantime."_

_Mary Jane's smile grew wider._

_"Thanks, Grandpa," she said gratefully._

_"Anytime, honey," Grandpa Lieber reassured her._

That made Spider-Woman pause. She'd initially forgotten what her grandfather had told her, and at the time she'd thought he made a lot of sense. But that was before she'd failed to stop the likes of Jack O' Lantern, Supercharger and Vincent Gonzalez from going on their murderous rampages, rampages meant to strike at her.

Their victims had needed her, and she'd failed them…hadn't she?

_"Hey, sweetie!" Maddie Watson greeted her daughter as Mary Jane came home later that afternoon. "How was your day?"_

_"Pretty good, Mom," Mary Jane smiled, although the smile was too strained for Maddie's liking._

_"…What's wrong, honey?" Maddie asked, immediately concerned._

_Mary Jane opened her mouth to speak briefly, and then seemed to think better of it. To Maddie, it seemed like she was trying to decide whether to say anything or not, until it was clear Mary Jane came to a decision._

_"It has to do with my being Spider-Woman," Mary Jane said, as she took off her jacket and boots and sat down with Maddie on the couch. She then told Maddie about her failure to stop Will O' the Wisp from murdering his ex-wife and her new husband, the vitriolic criticism Vincent Gonzalez had thrown at her after the Wisp's murders, and the harassing phone call she'd gotten from Jack O' Lantern, warning her that he always knew where she was and that he could strike at any of her loved ones._

_"…I almost don't know what to think anymore," Mary Jane shook her head. "I mean, I remember everything you've told me, and Grandpa Lieber told me, about all the good I've done and the people I've helped, but then I remember all the times I failed and how it'll be my fault if Jack does anything to harm you or anyone else I care about. And then I remember my responsibilities to myself and how I pushed myself too hard, but then I get ashamed of myself for feeling selfish and-" she began babbling, before Maddie put a finger on her lips to stop her._

_"You're still blaming yourself for all this, aren't you?" Maddie told her._

_"…What do you mean?" Mary Jane asked, her guilt turning to confusion._

_"When your father…did what he did to me," Maddie explained, choosing her words carefully, "I felt like it was my fault, all of it. I kept trying to tell myself that what he was doing was wrong, but then I started feeling guilty, like I was letting him down. I felt ashamed of myself, like I wasn't being a good enough wife to him. Whenever I got angry at what he was doing to me, I felt like I was being selfish."_

_Mary Jane sat silently for a moment as she took in what Maddie was saying._

_"But that was different," she protested. "Jack O' Lantern and the others-"_

_"It's not different at all," Maddie insisted. "People like Will O' the Wisp and Jack O' Lantern made their own choices long before you ever got involved, Mary Jane. The only thing you're doing is trying to stop them, which is exactly what you're supposed to be doing!"_

_"But I failed to stop them," Mary Jane pointed out. "Jack O' Lantern killed Dad, and-"_

_"-and you succeeded in saving me, Kristy, your Aunt Anna and a bunch of other people," Maddie reminded her. "What about all those sixty people that Jack O' Lantern would have murdered? Wasn't Anna one of them?"_

_"But-" Mary Jane began._

_"-what about Vincent Gonzalez?" Maddie scoffed. "Who cares? At least you're out there trying to help people! When was the last time this Gonzalez character ever did anything like that? Besides, how was it your fault that Supercharger was insane?" she said in disgust, her voice rising._

_Mary Jane only blinked at the intensity in her mother's voice._

_"Are…" she trailed off, not sure of what to say._

_"I'm just fed up with you being put through all this crap by people like Gonzalez and those supervillain freaks," Maddie explained, an intense light in her eyes, "and I can't stand seeing you put yourself through the same crap that I did to myself when I was with your father. Please don't make the same mistake I did, Mary Jane-you deserve better than that."_

_Mary Jane just sat there for several moments as she let her mother's words sink in. She'd been trying to tell herself the same things over and over again, but for some reason she'd never managed to fully convince herself._

_"Thanks, Mom," she smiled up at her mother, as her eyes sparkled with renewed vigor._

_"Anytime, honey," Maddie reassured her, brushing back a lock of Mary Jane's hair that was dangling in front of her face._

…The numbness in Spider-Woman's mind was fading, as everything came flooding back to her.

_It was only much later, after Kristy and her mother had gone to bed and the rain had stopped altogether, that Mary Jane found herself sitting on the balcony of her Aunt Anna's townhouse, looking out over a city which had, temporarily at least, regained some of its sanity after the horrors Jack O'Lantern had subjected it to._

_Despite her fatigue, Mary Jane had found that she just couldn't sleep. Her mind kept returning to Steven Mark Levins, wondering why she and he had both put on their costumes and done what they did. Levins embraced his inner monster, using his Jack O'Lantern identity to act out his darkest, most depraved fantasies…so why did she continue to act as Spider-Woman?_

_Why was she still putting on her costume, constantly risking her life despite the problems it caused her personal life?_

Levins claimed that I represent everything he hates,_Mary Jane realized, still not entirely sure what he meant. _I could have stopped being Spider-Woman, she thought, but every time I see a crisis, I just can't help myself…

_It used to be that she'd begun putting on a costume purely to spite her father, knowing his hatred of both mutants and superheroes. She'd reacted out of anger, viciously beating the supervillains she fought and very nearly hurting many innocent people with her recklessness._

_Now, though…_

_She'd saved literally dozens of lives tonight, not to mention all the other people she'd been able to help as a superheroine. Whether it had been the people kidnapped by Moonstone, the Brothers Grimm or Tarot, the other people Firebrand or Supercharger had tried to murder, or her family when they'd been threatened by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants or the Constrictor, what would have happened to them if she hadn't been there to protect them?_

_The results had already been all too clear tonight. While the city's other superheroes and the police had thwarted many of the villains, the Tomorrow Legion had taken almost two dozen lives, victims who died because no one was there to defend them. And then there were all the people whose livelihoods had been damaged, quite possibly even ruined, by the trauma they'd suffered or the money they'd lost when a bank was robbed or a shop was destroyed._

_Mary Jane recalled how angry and helpless she used to feel when she saw her father abusing her mother, how she wished she could have done something._

_Now that she had her powers, she could._

_And did._

Spider-Woman had recalled how she'd realized that Levins would win a small victory if he made her constantly look over her shoulder, and dwell on everything he'd done and could do to her…

The numbness shattered, as the fire returned to Spider-Woman's eyes. Anger filled her once more, but this time it was solely directed at Jack O' Lantern and everything he'd done. Images raced through her mind as she recalled all of Jack O' Lantern's grisly crimes, all of the innocent people he'd made to suffer, all of the lives he'd destroyed.

Jack O' Lantern hadn't even noticed Spider-Woman stirring, completely caught up in his own raving, but the sting blast Spider-Woman fired at him certainly got his attention. Only his finely honed reflexes saved him from getting blasted, but even they couldn't stop Jack from staring in stunned silence at Spider-Woman, for several moments.

"You said I always lied to myself," Spider-Woman said calmly, as her hands clenched into fists and began glowing with the greenish energy of her sting blasts. "You said I wasted my power, protecting people who couldn't defend themselves. You said that this world was sick and depraved. You said how ironic it was that it took you to make me realize just how stupid I'd been."

"_You…you…" _Jack O' Lantern started, hardly able to believe that all of his plans and his efforts hadn't broken his arachnid foe.

"You were right about one thing, at least," Spider-Woman continued, a grin spreading slowly across her face. "It really is ironic that you, of all people, reminded me how stupid I was to ever listen to you in the first place. You almost made me forget everything that my loved ones taught me and all the people I've been able to help, the people who remind me that I'm not alone. I know I'm not perfect, Jack-God knows I've failed more than once-but I nearly forgot about everything I've succeeded at, too."

"_Damn you…" _Jack O' Lantern hissed, his own wrists glowing with the energy of his wrist blasters.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Spider-Woman smirked. "All of your planning, everything you hoped for…and then it's all gone, just like that! Thank God for that-I mean, that pumpkin is _so _last season, and the way it just clashes with the chest armor…ugh," she scoffed in mock disgust.

"_You…YOU!" _Jack O' Lantern screamed, completely mad with rage. _"I'LL KILL YOU!" _he continued, leaping on his hover disc in one quick motion and charging at Spider-Woman.

"Alright, you bastard," Spider-Woman shot back as she charged at Jack O' Lantern in turn, "let's party!"

(_**Next Issue:**_ Spider-Woman has overcome her inner demons, but her troubles are just beginning as she finds herself in a life or death struggle with Jack O' Lantern, her most hated of enemies. With her own and Kitty Pryde's lives hanging in the balance, can Spider-Woman survive against Jack O' Lantern's insanity? All this and more in _Spider-Woman Annual #4: Darkness And Light!_)


	56. Darkness And Light

To Kitty Pryde, the hatred between them was palpable.

One of them was a monster, a twisted maniac who had donned his nightmarish costume to indulge his darkest and most sadistic desires. There was no underlying trauma, no sense of injustice, no cycle of abuse or mistreatment that had made him a mass-murdering psychopath. He committed his crimes because he knew he should not, because they were wrong, because he was evil. That same depraved compulsion had caused him to develop a crazed obsession with his nemesis for daring to interfere with his hellish "fun". This obsession had driven him to try and destroy his nemesis's very identity, to the point of making her his heir, the very thing she hated most in all the world.

He was Jack O' Lantern.

The other one was Jack's nemesis, the courageous young woman who had originally been compelled to use her strange superhuman gifts out of a combination of anger and compassion. The latter motivation had eventually won out, as the young woman came to terms with her inner demons and continued to fight for what she believed was right, to defend the innocent who needed her protection from monsters like Jack. She might have preferred to never have to deal with Jack again, but she was compelled to fight him not only for what he had tried to do to her, and more importantly for all the victims he had murdered. A part of her still blamed herself for his crimes, and she saw it as her duty to bring him to justice and stop him from spilling any more blood.

She was Spider-Woman.

Stuck in an iron cage hanging from the ceiling, unable to phase free because of the ghost grabber she was trapped in, Kitty Pryde could only watch helplessly at the scene below her. She felt paralyzed by fear, fear of the monstrous pumpkin-headed monster who'd kidnapped her and fear for Spider-Woman, who now confronted the monster.

"_You…YOU!" _Jack O' Lantern screamed, completely mad with rage. _"I'LL KILL YOU!" _he continued, leaping on his hover disc in one quick motion and charging at Spider-Woman.

"Alright, you bastard," Spider-Woman shot back as she charged at Jack O' Lantern in turn, "let's party!"

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN ANNUAL #4

"DARKNESS AND LIGHT"

* * *

A pair of concentrated blasts from the blasters on Jack's wrists cut through the air as he fired at Spider-Woman. The arachnid heroine rolled forward to dodge them and came up near Jack O' Lantern, firing her own bioelectric sting blasts at him. The pumpkin-headed madman pulled back on his hover disc in time to dodge them, before striking once again with his wrist blasters. This time, he didn't miss and caught Spider-Woman dead on. Spider-Woman didn't stay down long, however, springing right back up and releasing a double blast of webbing at Jack O' Lantern. He dodged Spider-Woman's webbing, but Spider-Woman immediately blasted at him with a sting blast, catching him square in the leg and knocking him off balance. Spider-Woman quickly followed up her advantage, leaping into the air and spinning a webline. As Jack O' Lantern tried to strike back, Spider-Woman swung forward and caught Jack O' Lantern in the face and chest with a vicious swing kick. Jack O' Lantern went flying backwards before crashing into the wall of the abandoned subway station where they were fighting, bouncing off as he dodged Spider-Woman's next sting blasts.

Jack O' Lantern was far from finished, however, flinging a pair of pumpkin bombs from his utility belt at Spider-Woman. One of the bombs exploded as Spider-Woman dodged, filling the air with a thick, cloying smoke. As Spider-Woman gasped and coughed, the other pumpkin grenade exploded in a gout of flame that scorched the web-slinging heroine and left her off balance. Jack O' Lantern quickly flew in and grabbed Spider-Woman by the hand, spinning her around with his hover disc and sending her flying to crash heavily into the far wall.

* * *

Dancing skeletons, screaming bats, cackling witches, drooling spiders and shrieking pumpkins danced at the edges of Jack O' Lantern's vision as he sent Spider-Woman flying. He heard their cries goading him on, reminded him of what he was and who he most sought to kill. Images of his victims flooded through his head, the thoughts of all the dozens of people he'd murdered. He could have done much more, so, so much more, if not for the young woman he now sought to kill.

Spider-Woman was young enough to be Jack O' Lantern's daughter, and ironically she was one of the few people of her generation that Jack didn't think had been completely ruined and spoiled by their coddling parents. Her fire and passion had intrigued him at first, as had the fact that she had very nearly hurt many innocent people with her recklessness early in her career. Jack could only imagine how much destruction she might have caused if she'd given full reign to her anger and hate, and her sheer wasted potential infuriated him. Spider-Woman would have made a worthy heir, particularly once she'd added Jack O' Lantern's equipment to her own natural spider powers. Now, however, she was the hero to his villain, fighting to defend his prey and ruin his fun. She represented everything-**everything!**-he hated in the world.

The skeletons, the witches, the bats and the pumpkins all screamed at Jack, reminding him that he had to kill Spider-Woman.

He heard their shrieks in his mind, and redoubled his efforts.

* * *

Jack O' Lantern cried out in pain as he smashed into the wall, but he bounced right back, firing his wrist blasters at Spider-Woman and forcing her to dodge. Reaching into his belt, he threw a flock of boomerang bats at Spider-Woman, which darted at her with frightening speed. Some of the bats slashed at Spider-Woman with their razor-edged wings, while others began emanating a piercing scream. Disoriented from the bats' cry, Spider-Woman was unable to defend herself properly and was slashed all over by the bats before she was struck by Jack O' Lantern's wrist blasters. Lashing out with her sting blasts, she destroyed several of the boomerang bats that were screaming. Catching several more with her webbing, she swung them at the next pumpkin bomb Jack threw at her, causing it to explode in razor-edged shrapnel.

Most of the shrapnel that would have cut Spider-Woman was instead caught in the webbing she still carried in her hands, and she followed up the opening the grenade left her. Forcing Jack O' Lantern to dodge, Spider-Woman caught him with a webline and dragged him forward. Leaping into the air, Spider-Woman caught him in the face with another devastating jump kick, before coming down behind him. Quickly whipping around, she fired her sting blasts once again, blasting Jack O' Lantern and knocking him off balance.

* * *

Spider-Woman's heart was pounding as she released her sting blasts. Although her body might have ached from the injuries Jack O' Lantern inflicted on her, she hardly felt the pain. Her mind was filled with the thoughts of all the victims Jack O' Lantern had claimed, not just the people he'd murdered directly but all of the others whose lives had been ruined by the trauma of losing their loved ones. The thought of everything Jack O' Lantern had done to them kept her moving forward, determined to succeed. She'd beaten Jack O' Lantern once before, during that horrible night when Jack had first inflicted the Tomorrow Legion on New York City, and she knew she could do it again.

Once, she might simply have wanted revenge on Jack O' Lantern for everything he'd put her through, wanting to simply pour out her rage on him. That was before she'd realized what she had been doing, and how many people she'd either hurt or come so close to hurting, both her loved ones as Mary Jane and innocent bystanders as Spider-Woman. Her mother Maddie, her Grandpa Lieber, her boyfriend Randy Robertson, Aunt Anna, cousin Kristy, Ben and Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, Liz Allan, Kitty Pryde, Ben Reilly, Bruce "Kong" McFarlane, Mark Raxton, her friends and famly reminded her that she was not alone and gave her the strength to keep fighting.

They were the ones she was struggling for, and she knew that if she didn't stop Jack O' Lantern that Kitty would only be the first one of them to suffer.

She was determined not to let them down.

* * *

One of the sting blasts struck Jack O' Lantern's hover disc and caused it to list badly to one side, even as the other caught him square in the back. Screaming angrily, Jack O' Lantern whirled around and released yet another weapon. This one was a ghost grabber, a wrapper of transparent, adhesive film shaped to look like a ghost. The ghost grabber wrapped around Spider-Woman and pulled her off her feet. As she struggled to break free, the ghost grabber suddenly glowed with electrical energy, zapping Spider-Woman and making her cry out in pain. Before she could recover, Spider-Woman felt herself suddenly spinning around as Jack O' Lantern picked up the ghost grabber and spun her around in the air. Releasing the grabber, Spider-Woman flew and crashed heavily into the far wall as Kitty screamed in terror.

Spider-Woman slumped to the ground, but it didn't take her long to tear a large hole in the ghost grabber and tear herself free. Jack O' Lantern fired his wrist blasters at her as she escaped the ghost grabber, and she quickly backflipped out of the way. As Spider-Woman flipped through the air, she managed another sting blast with one of her hands. Jack O' Lantern tried to dodge it, but the blast made direct contact with his hover disc, causing it to explode. Caught by surprise, Jack O' Lantern gave a cry of surprise as he landed awkwardly on the ground, rolling to the ground before he could get to his feet.

He was up in an instant, firing his wrist blasters at Spider-Woman, but at first she wasn't moving to attack. Instead, she sprang into the air, spinning a series of weblines that she used to swing around the room. First she dodged Jack O' Lantern's wrist blasters, and then she dodged his explosive pumpkin bombs. Jack then flung a ghost grabber at her, but it became entangled in some of the weblines Spider-Woman was using to leap around the room, always one step ahead of Jack.

* * *

Steven Mark Levins had, by all accounts, had a pleasant childhood. Martin and Phyllis Levins were loving parents, and his sisters Karen and Danielle (who often preferred to go by her middle name of Jennifer) were vibrant and full of life. The idyllic life the Levins clan had enjoyed was briefly overcast when Martin had had an affair, but he'd realized just what a fool he'd been and made a point of reconciling with his wife, remorseful that he'd ever broken her trust. When they had families of their own, Karen and Danielle shared the same love they'd experienced growing up with Martin, Phyllis and their brother Steven.

And yet, for all the love the Levins family shared, they had never been aware of the cancer in their midst. Steven Mark Levins had always felt a deep, poisonous hatred of his family and everyone else around him. He abhorred the way other people would occasionally express dislike or hatred of someone else, and desire to retaliate or take revenge on them, but never actually act on it. He'd seen the dark sides people occasionally manifested, like the moment of lust his father had demonstrated when he'd had his affair. They expressed these desires, desires so similar to Levins's own dreams of making everyone around him suffer, but they hid it all behind a mask of civilized niceties that concealed what they really thought and wanted.

Levins desired so much to unleash his latent fantasies. He dreamed of the looks of terror in an innocent victim's eyes, fantasized about the screams of fear and pain people cried under torture, envisioned the rivers of blood that he could spill with his actions. For all this, he did not act on his fantasies immediately, because he knew that other people would try to stop him, for all that he would indulge his dark side.

He knew this, and it enraged him.

Finally, he saw how he could reveal his inner self, his true self-by donning a mask. Steven Mark Levins saw the rise of costumed supervillains, and so he decided to become one himself to let out his most sadistic, depraved fantasies. With his knowledge of engineering and biochemistry, he developed his superhuman powers and equipment, fashioning the identity of Jack O' Lantern for himself. He chose his identity in honor of his birthday, the day when evil was openly celebrated and was said to most frequently walk the Earth-October 31, Halloween.

* * *

Jack O' Lantern finally got lucky with one of his pumpkin bombs, one that exploded and burned Spider-Woman with its flames. Spider-Woman fell several feet before she caught one of her weblines, but Jack O' Lantern quickly followed up with another pumpkin bomb that exploded into shrapnel and slashed her all over. Her entire body throbbed with agony from the blast, but moved quickly to dodge the next flock of boomerang bats that Jack sent after her. Their progress was hindered by the weblines between them and Spider-Woman, and she took advantage of it to destroy them with her sting blasts.

Jack O' Lantern tried to line up a shot with his wrist blasters again, but Spider-Woman frustratingly leaped from one webline to the next, always one step ahead of him. Finally, she knocked him off balance with a sting blast of her own and came down at him in yet another vicious swing kick. Jack O' Lantern went sprawling on the ground as Spider-Woman came down to join him, and soon the two enemies were caught in a vicious hand to hand battle.

* * *

Mary Jane Watson had grown up in an abusive, broken home, helpless to prevent her drunken, abusive father Phillip from treating Mary Jane her mother Maddie like a punching bag or constantly cheating on Maddie with an endless number of flings and affairs. Phillip had openly told Mary Jane to her face that he'd always wanted a son, never a daughter, lamenting the fact that he would never be able to have the child he always wanted, instead of the one he actually got. Finally, he kicked Maddie and Mary Jane out of the house when Mary Jane was 17, continuing to pay Mary Jane's tuition only to keep up appearances.

Mary Jane had felt a keen sense of anger growing up, berating herself for not being able to do anything to protect Maddie from Phillip's abuse. She felt completely helpless, wishing that she could do something, anything, to help her mother. Her guilt and frustration led her to withdraw into her shell, making herself look available and be unobtainable. She was the alpha queen in high school, dating all of the most eligible boys, being the centre of attention at every dance and party, participating in the cheerleading squad, all while never letting anyone get too close and keeping a healthy distance between her and them. Only a select few, like Liz Allan and Kitty Pryde, came to understand what she was truly like underneath it all.

Through it all, Mary Jane had never forgotten her father's abuse, and her anger continued to simmer at the back of her mind. When her spider-powers began to manifest, she saw how Phillip had actively campaigned against mutants and superheroes. Thinking that she was a mutant, she saw the perfect opportunity to spite him. Fashioning the identity of Spider-Woman for herself, she began fighting crime as a superheroine. She recalled how powerless she'd initially felt when she saw her mother being abused by her father, and the rage she felt at seeing people who used their power to inflict pain and suffering on others.

Her anger very nearly caused many of those same innocent people to be hurt, however, until she realized what she was doing. Mary Jane also came to realize just how many of her own friends and family she was hurting with her angry attitude. Now, Mary Jane continued to act as Spider-Woman, but she was no longer the angry, embittered child she was all those months ago.

* * *

Jack O' Lantern and Spider-Woman were fighting in close quarters now. They traded not only punches and kicks, but energy blasts as well. Jack O' Lantern zapped Spider-Woman with his wrist blasters even as Spider-Woman struck right back with her sting blasts. One moment Jack had knocked Spider-Woman off balance with a vicious kick to the stomach and followed up slashing her all over with his claws, the next Spider-Woman had blasted Jack O' Lantern with a double shot of her sting blasts and flung him into the wall.

Spider-Woman and Jack O' Lantern could both feel the hatred they felt for one another, a hatred that seemed almost tangible in the air around them. More than that, though, Spider-Woman could sense Jack O' Lantern's boiling rage. He was now screaming incoherently, driven almost to the point of madness by his desire to kill her.

"How much time and effort did you put into this?" Spider-Woman asked Jack O' Lantern, grinning in spite of her pain and her increasing fatigue. "Now, it's all gone to waste," she continued, spinning on one foot as she used the other to kick Jack O' Lantern square in his pumpkin-headed face.

_"DAMN YOU!"_ Jack O' Lantern shrieked, stumbling back before he regained his balance. _"I'LL KILL YOU!"_ he continued, firing his wrist blasters at Spider-Woman.

"What's the matter?" Spider-Woman shot back, dodging his wrist blasters and striking back with a double shot of her sting blasts. "Upset that I wouldn't submit to whatever you had planned for me? Angry that you're dealing with someone who can actually stand up to you? Mad that I won't beg and plead?" she continued, charging in as Jack O' Lantern fell off balance. She pounded him mercilessly as she got her second wind, memories of not only what Jack had done to her but to all of his other victims passing through her mind.

Jack O' Lantern buckled under Spider-Woman's relentless assault. He tried to get some breathing space to fire off another pumpkin bomb, fire his wrist blasters, use a ghost grabber, anything at all, but Spider-Woman didn't give him the opportunity. A rising sense of frustration combined with his anger as he finally managed to break away from Spider-Woman. He didn't waste the opportunity, blasting Spider-Woman with his wrist blasters and striking her with a pair of pumpkin bombs, one explosive and the other shrapnel. Spider-Woman screamed and stumbled backwards, her momentum broken.

Jack O' Lantern cackled triumphantly, readying the killing throw, but then Spider-Woman managed to catch herself. Faster than Jack O' Lantern reacted, Spider-Woman released a stream of webbing, entangling the pumpkin-headed lunatic. She then suddenly pulled Jack O' Lantern towards her, releasing the web strands as she did so and striking him head on with yet another double sting blast. As Jack O' Lantern staggered, barely able to stand, Spider-Woman charged in one last time, putting everything she had left into a vicious combination of punches and kicks that finally left Jack O' Lantern sprawled unconscious on the ground.

Elation and exhaustion filled Spider-Woman at the same time as her adrenaline faded. Her entire body ached with the pain of all of her burns, cuts and bruises, and she was still bleeding from many of her wounds. A part of her wanted to collapse and fall asleep right then and there, but the sense of joy and relief she felt helped her stay standing.

After taking a few minutes to catch her breath, Spider-Woman sprang up to the iron cage that Kitty was still trapped in. It didn't take long for Spider-Woman to forcibly yank the cage door open, nor for her to rip a hole in the ghost grabber that Kitty was still trapped in. As Kitty freed herself from the grabber, she grabbed onto Spider-Woman, who helped lower her back down to the ground. As soon as the two women were back on solid ground, Kitty reached out and hugged Spider-Woman tightly, tears in her eyes as she mumbled her thanks. Spider-Woman merely hugged her back, muttering soothing reassurances into Kitty's ear in reply. Finally, they broke off and stared at one another, before looking at the unconscious form of Jack O' Lantern.

"Is he…" Kitty asked slowly.

"He won't be hurting anyone for a very long time," Spider-Woman assured her. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live," Kitty nodded. "I just hope this doesn't have to become a habit," she smiled sadly.

"What do you mean?" Spider-Woman asked in confusion.

"Remember how you saved me and my boyfriend Kong from Avalanche?" Kitty reminded her. "I never thanked you properly for that."

"Don't worry about it," Spider-Woman reassured her. "Come on, we should probably try and find a way out of here," she continued, going over to the unconscious Jack O' Lantern. Wrapping the pumpkin-headed monster in a net of webbing, she flung him over her shoulder and slowly headed for the exit with Kitty in tow.

* * *

Getting back to street level and carrying Jack O' Lantern to a police station was a wearying journey for Spider-Woman and Kitty, but neither woman was inclined to complain. They were strengthened by the sense of relief and joy they shared, relief at being free from the monster and knowing that he was going to face justice for all of his crimes. The police gave Kitty a ride home, although not until she'd shared one final hug and thanks with Spider-Woman.

* * *

When Steven Mark Levins regained consciousness, he found himself in a holding cell in the Raft at Riker's Island, awaiting trial. His wrists and ankles were both shackled, and he had been fitted with a set of the special power-dampening restraints that kept supervillains from using their powers to escape from jail. Looking around in surprise, he recalled how he had been defeated by Spider-Woman, all his best-laid plans falling into ruin.

Levins screamed out his rage at what Spider-Woman had done to him, shrieking like a madman and shuddering violently.

His mind filled with images of screaming vampires being burned at the stake, dancing skeletons being consumed in flame, pleading witches being torn apart by bats, ghosts flickering in and out of sight in all sorts of bizarre colors, demonically grinning pumpkins shattering before reassembling themselves, and maiden-headed spiders that bit the heads off screaming victims.

The other images faded in and out, but the maiden-headed spiders were always there. In between devouring their victims, they looked directly at Levins, staring intently at his mind's eye.

The spiders were gruesome enough by themselves, but their heads caught Levins' attention. One moment, the heads were perfect representations of Spider-Woman's head, complete with her mask and long black hair. The next moment, the spiders' heads were representative of Mary Jane Watson's head, with her unmasked face and long red hair. The visions stared at him mockingly, tormenting Levins and driving him into an even deeper rage.

_Rage, _Levins thought to himself.

_Revenge._

"REVENGE!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, in a voice that sent chills down the spines of the guards and even many of the other inmates.

Awake or asleep, he saw the maiden-headed spiders, every moment of every day and night. They filled him with hatred, made him determined to destroy anything and everything that gave their lives meaning.

The thought of doing so made him happy, filled him with hysterical laughter.

He laughed a lot in prison.

* * *

Satisfied that the police would take care of Kitty, Spider-Woman was left to web-swing home and change out of her costume. Just like the last time she had fought Jack O' Lantern, she was covered with muck and dried blood, and Mary Jane needed a long shower to clean herself up. After that she took a long, relaxing bath and treated her many injuries. She was in serious pain from all of her cuts, burns and bruises, but she knew she would heal in time.

As fatigued as Mary Jane was, she hardly felt it. Rather, she felt a powerful sense of joy at defeating Jack O' Lantern and bringing justice to all of the people he had hurt. Along with that, she also felt a strong sense of relief that the nightmare she'd been subjected to over the last several weeks was finally over, and that she could finally relax. Perhaps most of all, though, she felt a sense of triumph, realizing that she'd overcome the most dangerous enemy she'd ever faced. Jack O' Lantern had tried to break her, to destroy her very identity using her old inner demons, but all of his efforts had failed.

Once again, Mary Jane found herself sitting on the balcony of her Aunt Anna's townhouse, looking out over the city at night the same way she had when she'd first defeated Jack O' Lantern. Back then, she had reflected on why she continued to fight crime as Spider-Woman, and everything she'd been able to accomplish as a superheroine. Now she found herself thinking about how much things had changed for her since her powers had first manifested.

Mary Jane recalled how angry she'd used to be when her superhuman powers had first manifested, and the way she used to lash out at those around her. It seemed like so long ago now, and looking back on it she could hardly believe she was ever like that. The very idea of it was abhorrent to her, and she could only shake her head at how foolish she'd been. She'd forgotten about all the people who cared for her, and all the positive things she'd done even in the early days.

Mary Jane could only wonder what had happened to that angry young woman. Even thinking about her abusive home life and everything she'd experienced no longer filled her with anger, just sadness. Of course she'd suffered at the hands of people like Phillip Watson and Roderick Kingsley, but she'd also benefited from the love and friendship of people like her mother, Aunt Anna, Randy and many more, all of whom reminded her that she was not alone and never had been alone to begin with. That was the thing she had forgotten, that her loved ones had to reminder her of, and that had ultimately caused Jack O' Lantern's attempts to destroy her to fail.

That realization made Mary Jane feel as though a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

_I might have had problems growing up, but those problems don't define who I am, _she thought to herself. _It's funny how being Spider-Woman helped me realize that…_

That thought stayed with her as she went back inside, bringing her no small measure of comfort as she got ready for bed.

(_**Next Issue:**_ With Jack O' Lantern behind bars, Mary Jane accompanies Randy and the rest of her friends to Daytona Beach with a clear conscience. Fun in the sun proves to be just what Mary Jane has been looking for after all of the problems she's had to endure, and she has the time of her life! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #49: Girls Just Want To Have Fun!_)


	57. Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Mary Jane Watson yawned as she slowly awoke, revelling in the sunshine that caressed her as she sat up in bed. Last night's sleep had been the best she'd had in months, in no small part because she'd finally defeated her arch-enemy, the murderous psychopath Jack O' Lantern. Jack had been psychologically tormenting her for weeks, culminating in his effort to destroy her very identity, but as the spectacular Spider-Woman she'd managed to overcome him and finally, at long last, bring him to justice. The long nightmare was over, and to Mary Jane the bright sunrise reflected the beautiful new start she now experienced.

Getting out of bed, Mary Jane walked to her window and gazed out at the sunrise, thinking about how beautiful it was. She then walked across her bedroom to her dresser and gazed into the mirror. The beautiful young woman looking back at Mary Jane had bright green eyes that sparkled with a vibrant inner light, long fire-red hair that matched its owner's passion and determination, a mouth that revealed a joyous smile and the demeanor of someone who looked as though the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders.

All of the anger and bitterness Mary Jane had once felt was gone, replaced with a sense of peace and serenity.

It was a pleasant thought, and the woman in the mirror laughed along with Mary Jane.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #49

"GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN"

* * *

"I'm sexy, I'm cute, I'm popular to boot. I'm bitchin', great hair, the boys all love to stare. I'm wanted, I'm hot, I'm everything you're not," Mary Jane sang quietly to herself as she finished buttering her toast and scooped her eggs onto her plate. Although her boyfriend Randy Robertson had given her grief for liking the Bring It On movies, Mary Jane thought they were hilarious. Besides, she thought that the song the Toros sang at the start of the film was incredibly catchy, not to mention true when Mary Jane sang it about herself.

Sitting down at the table, Mary Jane began eating her breakfast as she went over her plans for Spring Break. She and Randy would be joining the rest of their friends on a trip to Daytona Beach, where they could relax and party with all of the other college and university students who visited the place. Harry Osborn had paid for their hotel reservations and their plane tickets, using some of the money he'd made from selling Osborn Industries, the conglomerate that used to be owned by his father Norman, who had secretly been the supervillain crime lord known as the Green Goblin.

It was going to be a week of fun in the sun where they could unwind. Mary Jane in particular badly needed a break after everything Jack O' Lantern had put her through, to say nothing of the general stress of trying to balance her personal life with her superhero career as the spectacular Spider-Woman. She could only hope that it wouldn't be like last year, when she and some of her friends had gone to Fire Island for Spring Break and had their vacation rudely interrupted by her old enemy Polestar. Mary Jane had been forced to intervene as Spider-Woman, and while she was packing her costume this year in case she needed it, she prayed she wouldn't.

Once Mary Jane and the rest of the gang returned to New York, they would have the last few weeks of studies before final exams began. After that, Mary Jane would be putting her studies on hold to go work full time to help her mother Maddie Watson pay down the $40,000 she owed in back taxes to the IRS. Mary Jane's father Phillip Watson had been cheating on his taxes for years, and Maddie had inherited his debts after he'd died. While Anna wasn't too pleased at Mary Jane doing it, Mary Jane had insisted, particularly after everything her mother had already been through at Phillip's hands.

That would come later, though.

For now, Mary Jane couldn't wait to relax.

* * *

"How long are you going to be gone?" Mary Jane's mother Maddie Watson asked her as she sat at the window, waiting for Randy to pick her up.

"Six days," Mary Jane replied as she kept looking out the window. "We're coming back on Sunday."

"Who all is going?" Maddie asked.

"Me, Randy, Liz Allan, Harry Osborn, Kitty Pryde and Bruce 'Kong' McFarlane," Mary Jane replied. "Six days of fun, sun and freedom."

"Alright," Maddie smiled. "Just try not to have **too **much fun, you hear?" she continued, a humorous half-frown on her face.

"You raised me better than that," Mary Jane smirked. "I mean, come on-give me a little credit!"

They giggled a bit, and Mary Jane's spirits lifted as she saw Randy's car pulling up outside the townhouse where the Watsons lived. The horn honked to alert Mary Jane, but she had already sprung up from the windowsill and come over to hug her mother.

"Have a great time, sweetie," Maddie grinned. 'See you Sunday!"

"Love you," Mary Jane grinned as she picked up her luggage. Opening the door, she squealed with delight to see Kitty, Kong and Randy waiting for her. Hugging Kitty and Kong and kissing Randy, they helped Mary Jane carry her luggage out to the car. Driving to Kennedy Airport, registering for their flight, getting through security and boarding all took a long time, but for Mary Jane and her friends the hours just flew by, especially once they'd met Liz and Harry at the registration desk.

Although Mary Jane had packed her Spider-Woman costume, which she was carrying with her in a hidden pocket in her carryon bag, in case of an emergency, fighting crime as a superhero was the furthest thing from her mind.

Instead, her thoughts were filled with the joy of being with her friends, the peace of mind she'd felt ever since she'd finally defeated Jack O' Lantern and the feeling of being free from all her responsibilities, if only for a little while.

* * *

The flight to Daytona Beach was comfortable and relaxing, particularly considering that Harry had gotten them first-class seats. Mary Jane was lying next to Randy in a reclining seat large enough for two people, placing her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her. Randy was sound asleep, and Mary Jane had been nodding off herself, but she became fully awake when she heard the conversation between Harry and Kong.

"Don't get me wrong, man, it's not like I don't appreciate it," Kong was saying to Harry. "But how much did all this cost? I mean, I know you've got five million bucks, but aren't you overdoing it a little?"

"Five million?" Harry grinned. "You forgot the 'twenty' in there," he grinned.

"Twenty-five million?" Kong said in amazement. "Where the hell did you get that kind of scratch?"

"I suppose you heard about what happened to my old man?" Harry asked. His father was none other than Norman Osborn, the notorious chemical tycoon who was also secretly the masked supervillain and would-be New York crimelord known as the Green Goblin. As the Goblin, Osborn had become the arch enemy of the Amazing Spider-Man, one of New York's most famous costumed heroes. Osborn had been publicly outed as the Green Goblin by his web-slinging foe. In a later battle with Spider-Man, Osborn had suffered a permanent brain injury that would leave him a comatose vegetable for the rest of his life.

"Long story short," Harry continued, "I was Norman's legal heir, so I inherited Osborn Industries. I also inherited all the fallout from everything he'd done-all the corporate rivals who wanted a piece of the company, everybody with a grudge against him as a businessman, everyone who suffered because of the Green Goblin and now tried suing me. I let guys like Thomas Fireheart and the rest of Norman's rivals carve up the company like a turkey, and I used most of the money they paid to settle all the lawsuits and pay off the back taxes. I even set up about $100 million in a fund to repay all of the Goblin's victims. All the leftovers are going to go a charity to help the victims of supervillain crimes. When all the shit blew over, there was only about $25 million left of everything Norman Osborn had ever worked for."

"So what are you going to do with it?" Kong asked.

"Live my life the way I want to," Harry replied. "You don't know the shit I put up with growing up as that man's son, Kong. You probably saw the Green Goblin on the news. Believe me, that was what Norman was like in the privacy of his own home. He didn't need a mask to show what he was really like. After everything he did to me, I deserve some fucking peace."

"Damn, man…" Kong replied. "So why are you…" he trailed off.

"Why am I treating you guys like this?" Harry finished for him. "Because you guys were always there when I needed you. Without you guys, I probably would have killed myself. Just think of this as my way of thanking you."

"Like I said, we appreciate it, man," Kong assured him.

"I'm glad," Harry smiled back. "The really nice thing, though, is that I finally feel like I'm free. No more looking over my shoulder because of whatever Norman might do, no more thinking that he might screw me over."

"I'm free, Kong. I'm really free."

Mary Jane cuddled down to sleep again, comforted by those words.

More than anyone else in their group, she knew what Harry had gone through.

She also knew what it felt like to finally be free.

* * *

_**I'm the life of the party, **_

_** So contagious,**_

_** All the boys wanna catch me, **_

_** But I'm just playing…**_

_** -**_**Suzie McNeil, **_**Supergirl**_

Daytona Beach was everything Mary Jane and her friends expected. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was clear and blue, and the city was beautiful and vibrant. Laughing and smiling young people were everywhere, part of the large crowd of college and university students who'd come down for Spring Break. Mary Jane and her friends eagerly joined the rush of students gathering their luggage and taking cabs or buses to their hotel rooms, and in a matter of hours they were in a comfortable hotel overlooking the beach.

The hotel rooms were luxurious, but neither Mary Jane nor any of her friends gave the rooms that much thought as they unpacked. They were more interested in the beautiful white beaches outside, where a large crowd of people had already gathered. Even from their rooms, the sound of music and chatter reached up and greeted them eagerly.

Before long, Mary Jane and her friends had joined the crowd on the beach. This, especially, was what Mary Jane had been waiting for. She, Liz and Kitty all grinned at one another before they removed their jackets and fully revealed the gorgeous swimsuits they were wearing. Liz's fire-red string bikini contrasted with the deep blue string bikini Mary Jane was wearing, and in turn both of their swimsuits contrasted with the bright sun gold string bikini Kitty had on. They basked in the cheers and wolf whistles that came up as their boyfriends set up the beach towels, coolers and umbrellas, grinning to one another mischievously.

If Mary Jane, Liz and Kitty were smiling mischievously, Randy, Harry and Kong were just smirking with pride. They might have been jealous, but they were secure in the knowledge that, at the end of the day, they were going to be the ones the girls were going home with.

As Mary Jane sat down, she groaned out loud as she realized her mistake.

"Oh no!" she said audibly. "No, no, no! How could I be so stupid?"

"What's wrong?" Randy asked in alarm as he came over to her.

"And it's so sunny, too!" Mary Jane pouted.

"Are you okay, MJ?" Randy asked, concern suddenly filling his voice.

"Well, it's just that I'm really fair-skinned, and I forgot to oil myself up before I came out," Mary Jane explained, deliberately speaking louder than she normally would. "Do you think you could oil me up?" she asked Randy, holding up a bottle of sunblock in her hand.

"I suppose I could give it a shot," Randy quipped as he poured some sunscreen into his hand, smiling to himself at the disappointed groans he heard all around him.

Once Randy had completed his pleasurable duties, Mary Jane reclined in her chair, putting on her sunglasses and a hat to keep some of the sun off. Kitty was laying down next to her, opening up a magazine as Mary Jane opened up her _Twilight _novel.

"What's with the fedora?" Kitty asked curiously. "Why wear that to the beach?"

"Stacy Keibler's been doing it for a while now," Mary Jane explained, adjusting her fedora slightly. "If she can do it, why can't I?" she grinned.

Kitty only laughed and turned her attention to her magazine.

Relaxing there on the beach was what Mary Jane had been looking forward to all day.

She was the hottest thing on the beach, soaking up the approving stares of many of the other boys and the jealousy of many of the other girls. The girls wanted to be her, the boys wanted to be with her, and she loved every minute of it.

More than that, though, she had her friends with her, all of whom had experienced their own pain and troubles but were now enjoy themselves.

That, as much as anything, was what made this trip truly worthwhile.

* * *

_**(one) One two come and see what i can do.**_

_**(two) Two three everybody's after me.**_

_**(three) Three four let me tell you what's in store.**_

_**Let's go everybody on the floor…**_

For Mary Jane, the next few days were a whirlwind of playing beach volleyball, dancing by the light of the bonfires at night, drinking and singing karaoke (Mary Jane particularly enjoyed being regaled by Randy's rendition of Michael Jackson's _The Way You Make Me Feel_), frolicking in the surf, going on long walks with Randy and just enjoying a solitary swim. She couldn't recall having this much fun in years, and seeing the joy on her friends' faces only increased her pleasure.

As a change of pace, Mary Jane and her friends decided to split up on Friday for a boys' and girls' day out. Randy, Harry and Kong went to a Miami Dolphins game, while Mary Jane, Kitty and Liz spent the morning on a shopping spree. After lunch, they'd decided to go down to the roller rink and do some skating.

Mary Jane, especially, was eager for the opportunity to show off her new Union Jack-patterned tank top, deep red boyshorts and royal blue knee socks, all of which contrasted nicely with her fire-red hair and green eyes. Just as she had on the beach, she soon had the attention of many of the other skaters. Mary Jane only smiled at that, enjoying the approving stares of many of the male skaters while giggling at the jealousy coming from many of their female dates.

As much as she liked the attention, Mary Jane was also quite pleased to see that Liz and Kitty weren't being left out, as both of them soon had their own groups of skaters following in their wake. All three of the girls soon made themselves the hits of the rink, and even many of the other female skaters came to enjoy the impromptu dances Mary Jane and her girlfriends were leading.

Returning their skates to the rink attendant once they were done, Mary Jane and her friends were bemused by the group of men approaching them. One was only a few years older than them, apparently some MTV rock VJ who was filming the proceedings of Spring Break, while the rest were his camera crew. All of them clearly liked what they saw, and soon Mary Jane and her friends were greeted by the VJ, who they recognized as Matthew "the Falcon" Falco.

"You girls enjoying yourselves?" the Falcon grinned once the girls had introduced themselves to the people watching at home. "How do you like Daytona Beach?"

"It's really nice," Kitty replied, "but what are you doing here? Wouldn't you be at the beach?"

"Normally, yes, but I thought that showing some cute girls in tank tops and boyshorts would be a nice change of pace from just girls in bikinis," the Falcon grinned.

Mary Jane and her friends couldn't help but laugh at that, amused by his brazen honesty as much as the flattery.

"In all seriousness, though, we're looking for contestants for the Miss Spring Break pageant MTV is sponsoring," the Falcon said. "Where are you ladies from?"

"New York," Liz explained.

"Then this is your lucky day," the Falcon replied, his grin growing wider, "because we're still looking for a contestant from New York. The grand prize is $50,000. Which one of you is going to be Miss New York?"

Mary Jane was about to suggest that they try flipping a coin or something like that, but almost immediately Liz pointed to her as Kitty nodded.

"Mary Jane is perfect," Kitty explained. "The other girls won't stand a chance!"

Liz, Kitty and the Falcon were soon all gushing over Mary Jane's chances, even as Mary Jane herself stood there in surprise.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Mary Jane asked her girlfriends once they'd left the roller rink.

"What, you don't want to do it?" Kitty asked in surprise.

"Sure I do," Mary Jane nodded, "but I don't get why you guys didn't even want a shot at it."

"I just don't go in for that sort of thing," Liz shook her head. "I'm not interested."

"And I'd rather not appear on TV again," Kitty replied. "Remember how I got outed as a mutant last year? You never know who might see that and make the connection. That's the sort of bullshit I can do without," she sighed.

"It's not fair," Mary Jane frowned.

"Come on, MJ," Kitty laughed it off. "I doubt I would have won anyway. Who do you think would really have had a chance of winning it all? You, or me?"

Mary Jane opened her mouth to protest, but Liz intervened before she could say anything.

"Just think of what Felicia Hardy will say if she sees you win this," Liz pointed out. "Knowing her, she's probably here and she probably tried to become the New York contestant. I mean, come on-would she be nearly as jealous if Kitty or I had been the Miss New York contestant?"

A wicked grin crossed Mary Jane's face, and the girls laughed at that.

"Come on, we need to go get ready," Mary Jane smiled as they headed back to the hotel. "Harry brought his laptop to the beach, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Liz replied in confusion, "but what the hell do you need a computer for?"

"Reference," Mary Jane explained, a knowing smile on her face.

_**I'm the perfect disaster.**_

_**You cant stop me.**_

_**Coming faster and faster, **_

_**you just watch me…**_

* * *

**The next day…**

Clad in her deep blue string bikini and a sash that announced her as Miss New York, Mary Jane stood on stage with her competition as Matt Falco, who was serving as emcee, announced them all. Her competition included the likes of Miss Los Angeles, Miss Chicago, Miss Dallas and Miss Miami, but Mary Jane liked her chances. Even when she'd just come up on stage, Mary Jane had gotten the loudest cheers from the spectators, and she could tell that she was still getting the most approving stares.

Predictably, things started with the swimsuit competition, with the contestants walking like models up and down the stage to try and elicit the loudest cheers. Here, Mary Jane had a considerable advantage, as she used all of the moves she'd learned from her modelling work to establish the strongest stage presence. The looks on the judges' faces as she finished were better than for any of the other contestants, and Mary Jane knew her chances were good.

Next up was the talent competition. Several of the other contestants displayed talents such as singing or baton twirling, and Miss Dallas's cheerleading routine was tough to follow, but Mary Jane had something special in mind. When her turn came, the Shakira music she had requested began playing and Mary Jane began moving in time with the music, swaying her hips, making sensuous footsteps and spinning with a beautiful, fluid grace.

The evening and morning of practicing and watching the Shakira videos on YouTube to learn the movements had paid off in spades for Mary Jane, as she executed a pitch-perfect belly dance that would have done Shakira proud, had she seen it. Not that Mary Jane would have been so gauche as to rip off Shakira's moves, of course-instead, she'd come up with her own choreography based on what she'd observed.

Finally, there was the question and answer part of the competition. Most of Mary Jane's competition tended to give rather generic answers, as they clearly hadn't been expecting something beyond a swimsuit competition. When Matthew Falco came to ask her question, Mary Jane was determined to be ready.

"What do you say to critics who claim that people like you just get by on their looks?" Matthew asked her.

"Some people are really like that," Mary Jane replied, "but they just create a stereotype that makes everyone look bad. The way it is now, a lot of the time people just assume that a successful and attractive woman only got to where she is because she slept her way to the top. Taylor Swift and Shakira didn't get to where they are just based on their looks-they write and perform their own music. Summer Glau does all her own dancing, and Sarah Michelle Gellar did all her own martial arts. And just look at all superheroines like the Invisible Woman and the Wasp-do you really think they slept their way to where they are?"

"That's the problem these days," Mary Jane explained. "Either it's assumed that we got to where we are based on our looks, or if we're not good-looking enough people call us dogs, or cows, whatever you like. I love how I look, and I love the attention I get, but that's not all there is to me. And that's not all there is to the other women up here on stage with me, or most of you ladies out there, either!" she concluded, to the approving cheers and shouts of many of the women in the audience.

Even the other contestants were applauding Mary Jane as she finished. They were like her, she realized, taking pride in their good looks, but also having much more to their characters than just their appearances.

_**(five) Five six don't you want a little fix.**_

_**(six) Count down get a little crazy now.**_

_**(nine) Nine ten see me want to ruin them **_

_**Hold on ready here we go again…**_

* * *

Soon, the judges began tabulating their scores, and handed them over to Matthew Falco, whose eyes lit up as he read the results.

"Well folks, this is the moment of truth," he announced. "All of our contestants have shown that they're incredibly beautiful, incredibly talented and incredibly smart, but there can only be one Miss Spring Break. And our 2008 Miss Spring Break is…"

He paused deliberately, just to heighten the tension.

"…Miss New York, Mary Jane Watson!" he finished, as the crowd burst out cheering.

Mary Jane rocked back on her heels at the news. Even though she knew her chances were good, she still couldn't quite believe that she'd won. Tears formed in her eyes, not just from the joy at winning but also the knowledge that she could use the prize money to pay off the back taxes her mother Maddie owed to the IRS, and also use the rest of it to pay off some of her own student loans and help Maddie and Aunt Anna with the bills.

Getting her prize from one of the Jonas Brothers was fun too, but what really made Mary Jane's day was the congratulations she got from her friends, especially the passionate kiss she received from Randy.

_**Walking every wire,**_

_**set the world on fire.**_

_**No ones shining brighter.**_

_**Oh, oh, oh…**_

* * *

Mary Jane and her friends returned to New York on Sunday, and once she'd returned home Mary Jane was caught up with helping the rest of the Watsons with spring cleaning. Final exams were coming up too, and Mary Jane would have to get back to studying for them, and once school let out she'd have to find a summer job.

Not that Mary Jane cared, of course. She'd just had the best week of her life, and was ready to return to her normal life rested, refreshed and reinvigorated. She'd defeated her worst enemy, helped her mother put their financial troubles behind them, and she had a loving family, a wonderful boyfriend, and supportive friends.

Mary Jane couldn't have asked for anything more.

That evening, as she finished packing, Mary Jane reached for her tote bag and took out her Spider-Woman costume. She hadn't unpacked it once during her entire trip, and indeed during her vacation she'd all but forgotten about her superheroic identity.

Mary Jane had had her fun, but she knew that duty called. She'd long felt frustration at how being a superheroine had impacted her life, but she also remembered all the good she'd been able to accomplish and all the people she'd been able to help.

Slipping on her costume and darkening her hair, Mary Jane opened her window and swung out into the night, a wide smile on her face.

_**I'm supergirl,**_

_**I'm everywhere,**_

_**Those flashin' lights they stop and stare.**_

_**I'm fire red,**_

_**I'm one more rule, **_

_**I'm in your head **_

_**everybody knows, **_

_**I'm, I'm, I'm supergirl…**_

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane returns to her regular life in New York full of confidence. However, that confidence is put to the test when her old enemy Will O' the Wisp takes a room full of innocent people hostage, planning to murder them as revenge for crossing him before he obtained his powers. After the crushing defeat Spider-Woman suffered the last time she fought the Wisp, can she hope to even the score and rescue the Wisp's innocent victims? All this and more in _Spider-Woman #50: Lights Out!_)

AUTHOR'S NOTE

In writing this series, I'm guilty of an appalling oversight that should have been corrected years ago, but that I'm only addressing now. Spider-Woman's conflict with Jack O' Lantern, and the mystery of who was truly behind the pumpkin, have been two of the major plot elements of this series, and it's long past time for me to give credit to Roger Stern and J.R. Fettinger for inspiring me to develop Jack O' Lantern and the mystery around him the way I did.

Roger Stern is the man who wrote the classic 1980s Spider-Man comics that originally created the Hobgoblin as the successor to the Green Goblin. One of the biggest draws of those stories was the question of who the Hobgoblin really was, which led to fans endlessly debating the answer. The way it was handled by Marvel was controversial, to say the least, but in the end Stern himself would return to the Spider-Man comics to reveal who the Hobgoblin really was. Stern was the man who originally came up with the mystery of the Hobgoblin's true identity, and it's to him that I owe my inspiration for creating Jack O' Lantern.

J.R. Fettinger, also known as Madgoblin, is not a comic book writer. Instead, he's a devoted Spider-Man fan who maintains the Spidey Kicks Butt website, where he's penned dozens of insightful articles discussing how the Spider-Man stories have evolved. Reading Fettinger's articles about Stern's original Hobgoblin saga got me thinking about how a villain's identity could be developed. Something like that probably wouldn't have worked as well with Ultimate Sleepwalker, but when I began developing Ultimate Spider-Woman I remembered Fettinger's and Stern's writings and I became inspired to try and do something similar myself.

I should have included this entry at the end of issue #30, or the fourth Annual, but it's only now that I really remembered to do so. Those story arcs would not be possible without Fettinger and Stern, and so I include this note as my way of expressing thanks to them for inspiring me.

-May 2013


	58. Lights Out

Ever since he'd gotten back from serving his country in the Korean War, Mr. Perkins had lived in New York. He knew the dangers of living in the city, particularly in the last ten years since people with superpowers had become commonplace all over the world but especially in New York. Despite it all, he still enjoyed his walks through Central Park during the day. He and his dearly departed wife had always bickered over the danger, but Mr. Perkins had been adamant about taking his walks. As he put it, he had refused to knuckle under to the Communists, so why should he knuckle under to the thugs who tried to prevent him from enjoying his freedoms?

For over fifty years, Mr. Perkins had somehow managed to avoid being mugged or caught up in some other criminal activity during his walks. Unfortunately, there was a first time for everything, and Mr. Perkins now found himself surrounded by a gang of four young hoods. Three of them wielded switchblades and the fourth carried a baseball bat, and they all had distinctly threatening looks on their faces.

"Cough it up, old timer," one of the thugs, the one wielding the bat, demanded as he held out his hand, swinging his bat menacingly with the other. The four thugs moved to surround Mr. Perkins, cutting off any escape he might have had.

"Cough what up?" Mr. Perkins replied calmly, not missing a beat. "I'll admit I've coughed some scary stuff up over the years. Is that what you had in mind?"

"You senile, or just deaf?" another one of the thugs demanded. "Cough up your wallet, pops!"

"…Pops?" Mr. Perkins frowned. "Young people these days…" he sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Didn't your mothers ever teach you any manners? I suppose not…"

"That's it, grandpa," the bat-wielding thug sneered, both hands on his bat now. "Either we get your Social Security bling, or you get this right between-"

"Wow, talk about desperate!" Mr. Perkins and the thugs heard a lilting feminine voice interrupt the thug. Looking around to see where the voice was coming from, they saw that it belonged to a young woman sitting on top of a lamppost. Both Mr. Perkins and his would-be muggers were caught off guard by her gorgeous figure, beautiful face and long black hair, but what truly caught them by surprise was the bright red and gold costume she was wearing. It took them a moment to recognize her as the spectacular Spider-Woman, and the thugs immediately flinched as they did so. They recalled what she was capable of, and all of the dangerous supervillains she'd fought and defeated, and weren't sure whether to attack or flee.

"As I was saying," Spider-Woman continued, a disgusted look on her face, "I'm frankly amazed at how desperate you losers are. Imagine, mugging an old man just so you can get some money in a pathetic attempt to score!"

"The hell you talking about, bitch?" the bat-wielding thug demanded. "We wanna score his money!"

"And I'm sure I know why," Spider-Woman frowned. "It's all part of your guys' pathetic, desperate attempt to pay a woman to do it with you. I mean, look at you guys-none of you are man enough to be able to get a woman on your own, so you're reduced to mugging someone for money to pay for a woman. Or are you trying to go for the 'dangerous bad boy' image? News flash, boys-women only go for that if the man is actually confident in his manhood. They don't go for whiny little boys that try to compensate for what they don't have downstairs."

"Come down here and say that, you bi-" the thug standing behind Mr. Perkins said, as Spider-Woman did just that. As she leapt down to the path, she fired a blast of energy from her right hand. The energy blast caught the thug square in the chest, knocking him out cold flat on his back. With her left hand, Spider-Woman released a thick strand of webbing that quickly entangled the other three thugs. In a few moments, she had dragged the fourth thug to join them and had them all entangled in a net of webbing.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #50

"LIGHTS OUT"

* * *

"Are you alright, sir?" Spider-Woman asked as she turned to Mr. Perkins. The mocking, insulting tone she'd used to address the thugs was gone now, replaced with a polite, respectful one.

"Yes I am, young lady," Mr. Perkins nodded gratefully. "While I can't say I approve of the way you phrased things to those young hooligans, I appreciate your help."

"Yes, well…" Spider-Woman rubbed the back of her head in some embarrassment. "I said it that way mostly to keep them off balance and keep their attention focused on me."

"Quite so," Mr. Perkins smiled. "In any event, I was clearly wrong when I lamented today's young people. But we do have something of a problem-I'm afraid I don't have one of those new-fangled portable phones on me. I presume that you do?"

"No room on the costume," Spider-Woman shook her head, "but these sorry excuses for men ought to…there we are," she nodded, as she retrieved a phone from the pocket of one of the thugs' jackets.

It didn't take the police long to respond to Spider-Woman's call, or to dispatch some officers to respond. In the meantime, Spider-Woman was left to wait with Mr. Perkins until the officers arrived. Sighing in pain, Mr. Perkins had moved to sit down on a nearby bench, and Spider-Woman moved to join him.

"I never could get the hang of that fancy new technology," Mr. Perkins shook his head. "I don't know how your generation manages to understand it all."

"Sometimes I wonder that myself," Spider-Woman smiled. "…Are you alright?" she asked after a moment, seeing the way Mr. Perkins was breathing.

"It's just my rheumatism," he assured her. "Take some advice from someone who's been around the block a few times, child-make the most of your youth. When you get to be my age, you'll miss being able to run and jump the way you used to."

"I fully intend to," Spider-Woman assured him. "Are you sure you'll be alright getting home and everything?"

"Of course," Mr. Perkins assured her. "I'm not ready for a rocking chair just yet," he chuckled.

Spider-Woman only laughed at that.

* * *

Returning to her Aunt Anna's townhouse, Spider-Woman changed out of her costume and back into her street clothes, resuming her civilian identity of Mary Jane Watson. She paused a moment to admire herself in the mirror, grinning at her reflection. During her morning patrol as Spider-Woman, she had stopped two muggings, one break-and-enter and one convenience store robbery. It would have been three muggings, except that that would-be victim was equipped not only with bear mace but hard-soled boots that she used very well when smashing would-be muggers in the face with her martial arts kicks. Mary Jane hadn't even needed to intervene on that one, but it made for a fun show and she was even able to congratulate the woman before the police arrived.

Ever since Mary Jane had returned from her Spring Break vacation two days ago, she had been very busy. Final exams were coming up soon, and like every other Empire State University student, she needed to resume her studies. In addition to that, she had resumed her patrols as Spider-Woman, knowing full well the dangers that New Yorkers lived with every day and that could strike whenever they were least expected.

In addition to that, Mary Jane was also thinking about what she was going to do for a summer job. In between studying and superheroing, she hadn't had much time for acting or modelling work. Her last gig had been with Desiree Vaughn-Pope and her new line of thigh-high sports socks for women, but that had been a while ago. Mary Jane was less than happy with that, but at the same time she knew she was probably lucky to get it owing to Roderick Kinglsey's smearing her in the modeling world. She'd rejected his advances and hit him when he sexually harassed her last year, and while she didn't regret her actions she felt a keen sense of frustration at the lack of work she'd probably be getting.

Mary Jane still had a few hours before her first class on Tuesdays, so she decided to catch up on her e-mail. Much to her surprise, she had over seventy e-mails, or five times what she would ever normally have waiting for her. Looking at the first one, Mary Jane raised her eyebrows at the gushing praise the writer had for her looks, before jokingly proposing marriage to her. Many of the rest of the e-mails continued in that vein, praising her for how gorgeous she was and how much style she had. In particular, they referred to how they'd seen her on the Miss Spring Break pageant she'd won when she was in Daytona Beach.

A large number of other e-mails were requests for friendships on Facebook, and Mary Jane was more than a little surprised at just how much recognition she'd gotten from winning the pageant. She decided that she'd look at them some more later and determine which ones were safe enough to reply to or friend on Facebook, once she got home from school.

While most of Mary Jane's fan mail surprised her, there were a few other e-mails that got her hopes up. One was from Richard Banks, who she recognized as the director who'd been holding auditions for that production of _Othello _that she'd auditioned with alongside her boyfriend Randy Robertson. The e-mail, directed to all the actors who'd auditioned for roles, consisted of Richard Banks explaining that he'd had to postpone his production for various personal reasons. Because of that, he intended to make his production of _Othello _part of this year's Shakespeare In The Park festival, and he invited everyone to join in.

Mary Jane grinned at that, always ready to perform one of the Bard's classics, particularly if it meant performing alongside Randy.

The next e-mail was a message from Vaughn-Pope Cosmetics congratulating Mary Jane on winning the Miss Spring Break pageant, and informing her about the company's plans for its summer collections. The company rep who'd written the e-mail had asked for when Mary Jane might be available for auditions, as they'd been so impressed with her past work for them they wanted to give her the inside track. Mary Jane eagerly wrote back, noting that she wouldn't be available until after final exams were over but that she would be eager to join in once finals were done.

The last e-mail was perhaps the most intriguing. It was from Tom Ferguson, the radio DJ who'd directed a production of _The Wiz _that she'd starred in alongside Randy. Mr. Ferguson had been very impressed with her performance, and he'd let her know about the production of _Les Miserables _that she'd auditioned for. This time, he was writing to let her know about some TV roles that he thought she would be interested in, and where to go to audition.

So far, Mary Jane had only ever done stage acting. The only TV work she'd done had been for commercials, but who said she only had to stop there?

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she logged out of her e-mail account and shut off the computer, Mary Jane saw the new possibilities open up before her.

* * *

For most of her life, Tanya Sealy had gotten by on her own. From her hard life growing up to working as a high class call girl, Tanya had known what danger was like. Even if her high class position was less immediately dangerous than working as a streetwalker, Tanya still had to deal with clients who sometimes vented their frustrations on her, and whose wealth and power protected them from most retribution. Normally she forced herself to accept the beatings and abuse, but she'd killed more than one john in self-defence when her life was in danger.

Some of her regular clients were costumed supervillains, who were known for their substantial incomes. Several of them were part of the Serpent Society, a group of mercenary killers whose costumes and codenames were based off many different types of snakes. One member of the Serpent Society was a man named Davis Lawfers, codename Copperhead, who had taken exception to the abuse Tanya had suffered from some of her other clients. When she'd refused to tell him who had hurt her that way, Davis had offered her a position in the Society. At first she thought he was crazy, given that she had no superpowers and wasn't a trained fighter. Davis brushed off her concerns, pointing out that he could train her himself and that the Society would be able to give her some superpowers. Tanya had agreed, realizing that if she didn't she could look forward to more uncertainty and violence from men with short tempers and long wallets.

Davis spent the next several months putting Tanya through her paces with exercises meant to build up her endurance and martial arts lessons to teach her how to fight. The other Serpents had also taken turns training her whenever Davis was out on a mission as Copperhead, and it didn't take Tanya long to make friendships with them. Much to her own surprise, Tanya found she had a natural flair for martial arts, and after all of the Serpents' training she found herself matching them blow for blow in their sparring matches. The exercises had done her a world of good as well. When she'd first started with Davis, an hour's worth of exercise had left Tanya drenched in sweat and ready to collapse. Now though, she could go for four times that long and only be winded.

Today, though, there wasn't going to be any training. According to Davis, Tanya was now ready to receive the superpowers that would make her the new Black Mamba.

"Why now?" Tanya asked Davis as they stepped into the laboratory. "Was I not ready before now?"

"No, you weren't," Davis shook his head. "Black Mamba's powers require great physical and mental strength from their user. I wasn't just training you how to fight-I was training you so you'd be ready for this. I didn't want anything to happen to you, Tan."

Tanya frowned at that.

"What happened to the first Black Mamba?" Tanya asked.

"She got killed by the supervillain 8-Ball during a failed mission," Davis explained. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Tanya nodded. "I'm not going back to my old life."

"That's my girl," Davis smiled proudly, kissing Tanya on the cheek.

She blushed at that.

* * *

Tanya Sealy had never met the Wizard, the genius scientist who had found employment with the technocratic terrorist organization A.I.M., but Davis had assured her of his skills. Now, strapped down on the operating table, wearing a helmet on her head that was connected by a bunch of cables to a large computer whose use Tanya couldn't even begin to fathom, she could only swallow hard, reminding herself that she'd made the right decision.

When the Wizard began operating his weird machine, everything seemed to go black for Tanya for a moment. Then the darkness began to take on a life of its own, as she felt a connection being formed to something well beyond anything she could have ever imagined. The darkness embraced her and made her its own, even as she embraced the darkness and made it her own. They were separate and yet as one.

She could see through the darkness, vaguely sensing the others who were connected to the darkness and could wield it as she did. For all that they were separate people, they were intimately linked by the darkness, now and forever.

Something else was born in her mind-the ability to see other peoples' most intimate and cherished thoughts in the form of what they loved the most. When she awakened, she found she could see it in the Wizard, she could see it in Davis, and she could see it in the other Serpents. Even though the Wizard had explained everything to her, it was still amazing and unbelievable all at once.

Tanya had been able to intuit the intimate thoughts of her clients before now, and she suspected that was why these powers were so suitable for her. Now, though, her gifts had progressed beyond anything she would have believed possible.

Most of all, she saw Davis's most cherished and intimate thoughts, and knew that she would never be alone again.

* * *

Jackson Arvad removed his hat and sunglasses as he walked into his high-class apartment, smiling as he congratulated himself on his success. Once he'd shut the door behind him, he proceeded to remove his street clothes, completing the transition to his bizarre appearance. His shoulder-length blonde hair was normal enough, but his pure golden eyes and the green bodysuit he wore, complete with a bright golden starburst on his chest, were bizarre indeed. He was more popularly known as Will O' the Wisp, one of the new breed of criminals known as the supervillain.

Before he'd gained his superhuman powers, Jackson had been an engineer at the Roxxon energy company. His obsessive work ethic and desire to cut as many costs as possible might have earned him the respect of his coworkers, if he hadn't undermined and betrayed so many of them in his efforts to rise up in the company hierarchy. It had caused him problems with his wife as well, who eventually began having an affair with one of the coworkers Jackson had stepped on after she became so frustrated at his neglecting her for work. Even that wasn't the worst of it, as Jackson's refusal to install expensive safeguards during an experiment at work killed six people and exposed him to a massive amount of electromagnetic radiation. Roxxon had subsequently fired him for negligence, and it was sheer neglect on the police's part that he was not charged with negligent homicide.

Blaming everyone but himself for his problems, Jackson began suing not only Roxxon, but also the families of the people who'd been killed by the explosion, claiming that their accusations against him were slander. He lost every one of his lawsuits, bankrupting himself in the process as his wife Maureen ultimately left him. It was then, with his bank accounts empty and his reputation ruined, that his ability to manipulate his own body's molecules began to manifest. Developing the ability to manifest as a glowing ball of light with the power to control machines, hypnotize people and slam into things like a meteorite, Jackson realized he could use his powers to take revenge on the people he believed had wronged him.

Naming himself Will O' the Wisp in a subtle blast at his mythology-loving ex-wife, Jackson became a professional supervillain and saboteur for hire, committing his own robberies even as he began sabotaging industrial operations for hire. In doing so, he'd had multiple run-ins with the spectacular Spider-Woman, developing a particular loathing for her. By defeating him and sending him to jail, she'd prevented him from participating in the Tomorrow Legion, an informal supervillain crime syndicate. Fortunately, he'd gotten his revenge when he'd brutally defeated her during his successful attempt to murder his ex-wife Maureen and her new fiancé.

Since then, Will O' the Wisp had resumed his supervillain career, pulling off a series of lucrative robberies even as he continued working as a saboteur for hire. He'd even branched out into hired assassinations, having recently been hired by the Kingpin to murder the Roxxon executive Carlton Beatrice. Always eager for revenge against one of his former Roxxon colleagues, the Wisp had an easy time of disposing of Beatrice. Infiltrating the electrical systems of the elevator Beatrice was stepping into and causing the elevator to fall more than thirty stories before crashing was mere child's play. It was even more pleasurable when Beatrice's death was ruled an accident.

Yes, life was good for Will O' the Wisp.

Things were about to get even better, too-with the help of the technologist-for-hire who called himself the Fixer, the Wisp had discovered that one of New York's most exclusive private schools was having its end of year prom at the Waldorf-Astoria. What was particularly impressive in this case was just how many of the graduating students were the children of high-ranking Roxxon executives and employees.

Those sons of bitches had made him lose everything he ever cared for, so why not pay them back in kind?

The thought brought a disturbing smile to his face, even as his eyes glowed brightly.

* * *

Mary Jane knew that she'd done pretty well on her first final exam, and after she'd taken it she'd spent the rest of the morning and afternoon studying. Needing to take a break after all her hard work, Mary Jane had suited up and gone out on patrol as Spider-Woman. She was going to spend the next week and a half concentrating on her final exams, but once that was done she intended to resume finding summer work.

The only question was what to do. That job with Vaughn-Pope Cosmetics was a definite yes, and she had every intention of replying to the company's offer. Doing Shakespeare In The Park wasn't particularly lucrative, but it did give her an opportunity to keep her stage skills sharp while she looked for other things that paid better, and as a bonus she'd probably be co-starring with Randy if she was lucky. Doing some TV work would be the real prize, though. All of her previous television experience was in doing commercials, and she'd only ever acted on stage, but even just a bit part on a TV show could open doors that she would have never had access to otherwise. Maybe-

Spider-Woman immediately dropped that train of thought as her spider senses were triggered. One of her abilities was to mark people she knew with special pheromones that she could use to trace their location. Oftentimes Spider-Woman locked on to those pheromones when she actively willed it, but on a few other occasions her spider-senses activated on their own whenever the person some of her pheromones were marked with were in a situation of interest to her.

Unfortunately, this was almost never a good thing. Either someone she cared about was in danger, or one of her supervillain enemies was engaging in some new criminal activity.

A determined look crossed Spider-Woman's face as she changed the direction of her web-swinging, following the trail her spider-senses marked out for her.

* * *

Upper Redwood Academy was one of the most prestigious private schools in all of New York State. It had educated generations of future business and political leaders, graduates who typically moved on to study at elite Ivy League schools like Princeton and Harvard. The students of Upper Redwood typically wanted for nothing, knowing that they could count on their parents to get the very best for them. One of those perks was a graduation party at the swanky Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and the graduating class of 2008 was enjoying it to the fullest.

Many of the students were in each other's arms, enjoying the dance as a slow, romantic song played in the background. The electric mirror ball hanging from the center of the room's ceiling slowly spun around, projecting its lights so that the partygoers seemed surrounded by a galaxy of stars. For several long moments, they did not notice as the mirror ball began to spin more quickly, as its flashing became more and more bright and erratic. All of the students, parents and staff soon began to turn to watch the glowing lights, becoming completely entranced by their hypnotic glow.

Sinister laughter filled the room as a second ball began to emerge from the mirror ball. This second ball was a bright sphere of golden light, which gradually coalesced into the human form of the Will O' the Wisp. Looking all around him, he smirked at his victims, who were all completely entranced by the glowing light he generated from his body. They were completely under his power, and he could make them do whatever he wanted.

Using the knowledge that the Fixer's bot program had gathered for him, the Wisp gathered the students who were the children of the high-ranking Roxxon employees, while shuffling the other students and staff off to the side. He had no intention of killing anyone not affiliated with Roxxon, and would be quite comfortable simply taking all of their money and valuables. The Roxxon employees and their families were the ones who he intended to make suffer.

Will O' the Wisp made the students dance in perfect time with one another, laughing and congratulating himself on their perfect choreography. He made them sing in chorus, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and punch each other in their faces. Soon, he tired of his game, and ordered the rest of his slaves to bring the students the knives they would need to kill one another.

The shattering of glass at the other side of the room made Will O' the Wisp turn around in alarm. His prisoners stopped dead in their tracks as he let up his control of them, forgotten as Will O' the Wisp stared daggers at the spectacular Spider-Woman, who charged into the room.

"Spider-Woman," Will O' the Wisp said calmly, his voice dripping with hatred at the arachnid heroine. "I might have known you, of all people, would try to ruin my fun. Remember what happened last time?" he reminded her, the look on his face changing to an ugly leer. "The way you failed and let those innocent people die? It's going to happen again, my dear, and you won't be able to stop it any more than you did last time!" he cackled.

"That was then," Spider-Woman replied, equally calmly. "This is now."

"Just keep telling yourself that, child," Will O' the Wisp smiled, as he shifted back into his golden sphere form. "Just keep telling yourself that!" he repeated, as he glowed brightly. His hypnotized slaves immediately sprang back to life, some of them charging at Spider-Woman with the knives they had been bringing the students the Wisp was targeting, others gathering chairs to attack her.

Her heart pounding, Spider-Woman leapt into the air and swung overhead, releasing her webbing to ensnare as many of the students as she could. Given how the Wisp had gathered them all in the center of the ballroom, it was clear that they were his targets. Unfortunately, while she was swinging through the air Spider-Woman couldn't hope to avoid Will O' the Wisp rising up like a shooting star to slam her head-on. Her entire body shuddered with pain as the Wisp knocked her off balance, and before she could counterattack the Wisp had focused his lights directly on her. The lights flashed brightly, dazzling Spider-Woman's eyes and leaving her unable to avoid being hit again by the Wisp's spherical form.

Spider-Woman lost her grip on her webline and fell towards the floor, crashing heavily on a table and causing it to collapse. She was immediately surrounded by hypnotized partygoers, who slashed at her with their knives and beat at her with chairs. Spider-Woman tried to defend herself as best she could with her webbing, but she still couldn't fully see and she didn't dare use her sting blasts on the hypnotized people. Soon, however, they backed away as the Wisp came down in front of her.

Will O' the Wisp shifted back to his human form, and his lights were glowing again. Spider-Woman found her muscles growing stiff and she was unable to look away, her brain increasingly numbed as she fell under the Wisp's hypnosis.

To the Wisp, this was even better than he could have expected. Not only was he going to have sweet revenge on so many of his old friends from Roxxon, he was also going to have his revenge on the little spider-brat who'd been such a thorn in his side for so long. Will O' the Wisp had already humiliated Spider-Woman the last time they'd fought, brutally beating her and killing his intended victims. Now, once she watched the Upper Redwood students slit each other's throats, Spider-Woman would be made to do the same thing to herself.

As she had been hypnotized, Spider-Woman's mind filled with memories of what had happened the last time she'd failed to stop the Wisp. Now, those memories struggled within her mind against her hypnosis. None of the other people in the room had any previous experience with the Wisp's lights, or a knowledge of what they could do, but Spider-Woman did, and they helped her fight off the numbing of her thoughts. Unfortunately, she was still unable to move, as her body remained stubbornly stiff. Try as she might to move, she was simply stuck.

Spider-Woman's frustration rose as she realized she didn't have much time. Will O' the Wisp had directed the rest of his hypnotized slaves to kill the students, although they were getting tangled in the webbing Spider-Woman had spread all over the students. It wouldn't keep them at bay forever, and unless she acted fast…

That was when Spider-Woman got an idea. Instead of simply trying to move her body, she focused on her hands, which were raised in front of her in a vain attempt to shield her eyes from the Wisp's lights. The Wisp was standing in front of her, but he'd turned his back, confident that she couldn't move. That proved to be a mistake, as Spider-Woman's hands flashed and blasted him square in the back with her sting blasts. Once again, the Wisp's slaves stopped moving as their master let up his control over them.

Livid with anger, Will O' the Wisp turned back to Spider-Woman. Focusing all of his control on her, he forced her to step forward, intending to kill her himself. To his great astonishment, she stubbornly refused to step forward, her mind becoming clearer as she fought his commands.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Will O' the Wisp shouted as he resumed his sphere form and charged at Spider-Woman. Catching her dead on, he drove Spider-Woman back and smashed her into the wall once and again before he re-formed his arms and wrapped them around Spider-Woman's throat. Rising into the air, he held Spider-Woman by the throat and began to squeeze, intending to crush her windpipe right then and there.

Will O' the Wisp was so intent on trying to strangle Spider-Woman that he didn't notice her blasting him once again at point-blank range with her sting blasts. The Wisp howled in pain and fell back, releasing Spider-Woman as she caught herself with a webline. The Wisp came at her again in his shooting star form, but this time Spider-Woman was ready for him and swung herself out of the way. Spinning around on her webline, she blasted the Wisp and knocked him off balance. As the Wisp's glowing sphere form flickered, its integrity damaged by Spider-Woman's sting blasts, Spider-Woman kept up the pressure, repeatedly blasting him until he finally resumed his human form and fell unconscious, crashing to the floor.

Extending her webline, Spider-Woman lowered herself to floor level before she began freeing the people she'd entangled in her webbing. The partygoers began coming out of their trances as Spider-Woman freed the last of the people from her webbing, and confused babble erupted around the room as they wondered what had happened.

Several of the people around Spider-Woman noticed her presence.

"What the hell are you doing here?" one female graduate asked, an angry sneer on her face. "Didn't you fuck up the last time you tried to help those people at the Libertine?"

"How many people got killed this time?" one of the fathers asked.

"Nobody got killed!" one of the other parents called out, as a couple of them hefted the unconscious Will O' the Wisp. "It looks like-"

The dismayed cries from several of the parents who worked for Roxxon, as well as other people who were familiar with New York's supervillain population, were the cries of people who recognized Will O' the Wisp.

"That was Jackson Arvad!"

"My God, did he try to kill us?"

"Is everybody okay?"

Spider-Woman wasn't entirely sure what to say, and wasn't sure if she should leave. The reception she was getting from the partygoers standing closest to her wasn't exactly friendly, and-

"You saved us!" one of the students exclaimed, turning to Spider-Woman in gratitude. "Oh, thank you so much!" she continued.

"What do you mean, she saved us?" the first student who'd confronted Spider-Woman demanded.

"Are you deaf or something?" the other girl demanded. "Spider-Woman saved us! That crazy Will O' the Wisp guy tried to kill us, and-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" the first student demanded, but her answer came in the form of an excited chatter as more and more of the crowd began to understand what she'd done for them. Some of the partygoers still looked skeptical, but any protests they made were drowned out by the loud cheers and cries of gratitude directed Spider-Woman's way.

Spider-Woman was somewhat astonished at the response, having become so used to people insulting and deriding her because of issues like her past failures or Vincent Gonzalez's hate campaign directed against her. The praise was relieving and gratifying all at once, something she hadn't gotten as Spider-Woman in a long time.

Spider-Woman basked in the praise for a while until the police came and hauled the unconscious Will O' the Wisp away. While she left before the media reporters arrived, the footage of her battle with Will O' the Wisp, taken on the hotel's security cameras and the cell phones of many of the partygoers, was all over the news the next morning.

Mary Jane went to sleep that night comforted and reassured, and the news coverage the next morning was a pleasant surprise indeed.

Things were finally looking up for her.

(_**Next Issue:**_ As another school year comes to a close, Mary Jane seeks out summer work with Desiree Vaughn-Pope and the other job opportunities she's offered. Unfortunately, things become much more complicated when she crosses paths with Black Mamba, who participates in her first mission as a member of the Serpent Society! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #51: Snake Charmer!_)


	59. Snake Charmer

Mary Jane Watson was wreathed in smiles as she entered her Aunt Anna's townhouse, glad to put final exams behind her. There was a spring in her step as she walked upstairs and lay down on her bed, eager for a nap after all her hard work. She knew she'd aced her final exams, a far cry from last year when she'd failed most of her midterms because of the exhaustion she'd suffered trying to juggle school, her waitressing job, her acting and modelling career and her superhero career as the spectacular Spider-Woman. Mary Jane had been lucky not to end up on academic probation after that semester, and it was only after she'd moved back in with her family and been let go from her job at the coffee shop that she'd improved her grades.

Nodding off in the warm spring sun as it shone in through her window, Mary Jane still couldn't entirely believe how much things had changed for her over the last several months. She had a hunk of a boyfriend who treated her like a princess in Randy Robertson, her mother Maddie was in perfect mental health, she had a number of choice acting and modelling jobs to apply for, her other friends like Kitty Pryde and Harry Osborn had overcome their own problems, she'd recently won a Spring Break beauty pageant that had earned her a substantial number of fans, and she'd been able to use the prize money from the pageant to pay off both the back taxes her mother had been stuck with and a fair amount of Aunt Anna's property taxes.

Smiling to herself, Mary Jane reached into her pocket and pulled out the I-Pod Maddie and Anna had insisted she buy with some of her winnings. Putting the headphones in her ears, she set the I-Pod to play her favorite Jonas Brothers song and closed her eyes, reflecting on how well things were going for her.

* * *

SPIDER-WOMAN #51

"SNAKE CHARMER"

* * *

Tanya Sealy was the first to admit that her costume didn't leave much to the imagination. The black leotard was made of flexible Kevlar that allowed its wearer to bend and twist as necessary, meshing well with her flipping, kicking fighting style. Her gloves and boots were knee- and elbow-length, made of light hardened steel alloy painted emerald green and decorated in serpentine patterns. The costume was topped off with a green tiara she wore on her head, which was crafted to resemble a serpent wrapping itself around her head, its own head staring intensely at the viewer.

The fact that the costume was revealing didn't particularly bother Tanya. Her past career as a call girl and exotic dancer made her used to such outfits. Nor was she upset by her new career, that of joining the Serpent Society, a group of snake-themed costumed supervillains, as an assassin. In her old jobs, she'd killed more than one john who'd tried to get violent. She was also quite comfortable with the other members of the Serpent Society. Many of the male members had been some of her best and most respectful customers in her call girl days, and the female members of the Society had been nothing but welcoming and supportive.

Even the superpowers the Society had arranged to get her, powers that duplicated those of the now-dead assassin whose costumed identity she was taking up, didn't bother her. And yet, for all that, Tanya Sealy, codename Black Mamba, still felt nervous and on edge as she went over the details of her first assignment, pacing her quarters endlessly as she thought the matter over in her head. Jumping at the knock on her door, she marched over and pressed the button that opened the door.

Standing in the doorway was a slim, nondescript man with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes, a look of concern on his face. Without a word, Tanya turned back and resumed her pacing, as the man followed her into her living quarters.

"How are you holding up?" Davis Lawfers, better known by his supervillain moniker as Copperhead, asked her. Davis was the Serpent Society member who'd recruited Tanya to replace the first Black Mamba, who'd been killed last year during a failed mission. He'd been disgusted by the abuse Tanya had been suffering from her clients, and had recruited her to the Society to try and provide a better life for her.

"What's wrong, Tan?" Davis asked her gently. "Are your powers giving you trouble?"

"No, it's…" Tanya trailed off. "I…I don't know…"

"Let me guess," the perceptive Davis nodded. "First-time jitters, right?"

Tanya looked away from him.

"Bingo," Davis nodded. "You don't need to worry, Tan-Anaconda and Princess Python will be there to back you up."

"Yeah, but…" Tanya trailed off.

"No buts, Tan," Davis replied pointedly. "You've got the training, you've got the powers, and you've got the drive. I **know **you can do this, Tan-you've just got to have as much faith in yourself as I have faith in you. Do you honestly think that I would have spent all these months training you, and had the Serpent Society get you your powers, if I didn't believe in you?"

Hearing those words reminded Tanya of just why she'd agreed to do this.

Her fears were forgotten, replaced by the determined smile on her face.

* * *

"So you got the e-mail too?" Mary Jane asked her boyfriend Randy as they made their way into the theatre.

"Yeah, I actually originally met Richard Banks when I auditioned for another show he directed," Randy explained. "He was the one who told me about the new production of _Othello _he wanted to do, and asked me to audition."

"Do you know why he postponed the production from last year?" Mary Jane asked curiously. "It was like the play just dropped off the radar. I thought it was cancelled."

"I don't know, exactly," Randy shrugged. "He just said that he had some personal issues he needed to work through."

"Well, I can certainly sympathize with that," Mary Jane nodded. "Do you think we practiced the scene enough?" she continued.

Mary Jane and Randy had originally done the scene where Othello murders Desdemona in an assignment for their Drama class at university, and they'd decided to do it again for their audition for the play. They hadn't been able to rehearse as much as they would have liked, in between their final exams, Randy's work at the HABQ-FM radio station and Mary Jane's web-slinging exploits as Spider-Woman, and they could only hope that they could do the scene justice. They figured they were a natural fit for the roles of Othello and Desdemona, given that they were dating in real life and could translate that into the marriage of their characters.

The main lobby was full of other people who were also trying out for parts in the play, and Mary Jane and Randy knew several of them from previous auditions. They fell into chatting with the other actors, eagerly catching up on what they had all been doing since the last time they'd seen one another.

Mary Jane was quite pleased to see most of the people she knew, but it was while she was going back to rejoin Randy that she heard a distinctly unwelcome voice.

"Hey there, lover-boy!" the shrill voice greeted Randy as Mary Jane came up to join her boyfriend. They turned around, Randy looking distinctly nervous and Mary Jane looking distinctly sour and unhappy as they recognized Felicia Hardy skipping up to join them. She was much the same as she always was, her long platinum-blonde hair flowing behind her, her bright brown eyes sparkling mischievously and her skin deeply bronzed from hours in the tanning bed. Mary Jane had known Felicia since high school, and the two girls hated one another with a passion.

"I didn't know you'd be trying out," Felicia said in a sultry voice as she reached out to stroke Randy's cheek. "Can you imagine us, side by side, announcing our love on stage, heedless of what the world says?"

In a flash, Mary Jane had reached out and caught Felicia's hand, as Randy continued standing there awkwardly.

"Tell me, Felicia," Mary Jane said icily, staring daggers at Felicia as she stepped between Felicia and Randy, "do you think that you can play Desdemona with only one hand?"

"Watson," Felicia replied with a false sense of sweetness as she airily withdrew her hand and turned to face her hated nemesis. "Now I remember why I love Randy so much-he always had a thing for charity cases," she smirked, contempt in her voice.

An angry flush crossed Mary Jane's cheeks, images of throttling Felicia dancing in her head. She had to actively restrain herself, reminding herself that she couldn't afford to lose her temper, as Randy looked nervously from one girl to the other.

"By the way, Mary Jane-Roderick Kingsley says hello," Felicia leered. "You wouldn't believe what a success our Satin Angel campaign has been. It's a pity you weren't able to get the part, but..."

"…but he had to settle for second best," Mary Jane shot back, pained at the reminder of how she'd been groped by Kingsley and fired after she struck him. The pain in her voice weakened the strength of the comeback, and she was struggling to keep her fury under control, as Randy looked from one girl to the other. Felicia didn't seem bothered at all by the insult, only continuing with that arrogant, condescending smirk.

"MJ…" he quickly intervened, grabbing his girlfriend by the arm, "we need to go over our lines again. Here, you want to help me?" he asked, quickly pulling Mary Jane away.

"See you soon, sweetie," Felicia finished with a wink and kiss at Randy as they turned away.

"Are you okay?" Randy asked in concern, as Mary Jane began breathing deeply to calm herself down. "Don't listen to her, she's just-"

"She's just trying to throw me off my game," Mary Jane nodded, blinking repeatedly, "but damn it, she knows exactly what buttons to push."

"You mean about…" Randy asked her.

"That Satin Angel commercial would have been great for my career," Mary Jane sighed, "but losing it doesn't make me half as angry as being groped by that old pervert Kingsley. And he got away with it, too. Just like how Felicia got away with…" she trailed off.

"What did Felicia get away with?" Randy blinked curiously, as Mary Jane recalled that no one but Spider-Woman and Felicia knew the truth about what had happened to Brigid O'Reilly and how she had become the monstrous Mayhem.

"I'll tell you some other time," Mary Jane shook her head. "Let's just say it involved one of my old cases as Spider-Woman."

Shaking her head slightly, Mary Jane mumbled under breath to try and remain calm, as Randy put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

* * *

"So what exactly did this guy do?" Black Mamba asked Anaconda and Princess Python once more.

"You mean you don't-oh, right, the briefing didn't include that information, did it?" Princess Python asked.

Black Mamba shook her head.

"We'll have to have a word with our administrative staff," Princess Python frowned. "Long story short, this Horace Green guy is a rich asshole who thinks that his money and his power give him the right to treat women like his own personal punching bags, especially his wife. Her brother hired us to…shall we say…'enlighten' him."

"Okay, but I don't get why all three of us are needed for this mission," Black Mamba explained. "Wouldn't be easier to just have one of us go after him?"

"You want to tell her, or should I?" Anaconda asked Princess Python, looking over her shoulder from the controls of the saucer she was piloting. Although was crafted to resemble a large serpent's head, the image-inducing technology built into it allowed the saucer's operator to disguise it as a typical car, enabling them to travel through the streets of New York without notice.

"One of the basic rules for supervillain assassinations is to make it look like your target was the victim of a random supervillain robbery and that he got killed in the crossfire," Princess Python explained. "That makes it much harder to trace the killing back to your client. The police might suspect something, but without any evidence, who's to say that your victim wasn't just an unlucky casualty of a supervillain attack?"

"This is why we're using disguise technology," Princess Python continued, referring to the image-inducing technology they carried. It was similar to the image device built into their serpent saucer in that allowed its user to look like an ordinary passerby until they chose to reveal themselves. "Anaconda and I are going to reveal ourselves and start a ruckus. We're going to draw out any heroes that might be around, while you keep your disguise up, go after Horace, and then take him out. Once you're done, come back to the saucer and get the hell out of there. Don't worry about us-if we get caught, Sidewinder will just free us," Python assured Black Mamba.

_I have everything I need, _Mamba realized. _I know how to operate these serpent saucers, I know how to use my powers, I've been trained how to fight, I have my allies for backup, and I know the plan. _

_I am ready._

* * *

Mary Jane was shaking, trying as best she could to keep her anger under control. It sickened her that neither Kingsley nor Felicia had ever really been punished for the twisted things they'd done, whether Kingsley sexually harassing her or Felicia's prank causing the deaths of Brigid O'Reilly and all her high school clique. Mary Jane might have been able to shrug off Felicia hitting on Randy-she knew full well that Randy wouldn't give Felicia the time of day-but the fact that Felicia and Kingsley were both walking free turned Mary Jane's stomach.

Randy was holding her, whispering reassuring words in her ear, and that helped her keep her cool.

Mary Jane thought of Desdemona, the role she was auditioning for, and the scene she was going to play with Randy for their audition. In her final scene, Desdemona was in despair, upset at the thought of losing the trust of the man she loved more than anything in the world. She pleaded her innocence, but Othello had been so thoroughly manipulated by Iago that he killed her in cold blood, although she defended his honor to the last.

Then she recalled her audition for the role of Eponine in _Les Miserables, _when the stress she was experiencing had made her performance all the more realistic and poignant. While she'd unfortunately blown the callback due to a particularly nasty run of what she'd come to call the 'old Watson luck', her harried emotions had no doubt been a critical reason why she'd gotten a callback in the first place.

Desdemona was driven to despair by things she couldn't control, something Mary Jane could sympathize with all too well.

Acting was stepping into another person's shoes, making their personality your own.

And when the emotions of the performer and the character were so similar, Mary Jane knew, the resulting performance could become all the stronger.

* * *

As played by Mary Jane, Desdemona was a lost soul, doomed by the manipulations of others and crushed by that realization. She lost all hope, even her will to live, when she realized that Othello's trust in her was shattered. Desdemona had loved Othello with a passion, and that same passion made her despair all the stronger when she realized that he no longer shared her love. The harsh condemnations Randy threw her way as Othello stung all the more painfully, coming from someone Mary Jane cared about so much.

It all proved to be worth it as they ended the scene and stood up, as several of the other actors applauded. One person in particular seemed impressed-a tall, heavyset black man with spectacles and a trim beard, who just happened to be Richard Banks, the director of the play. He had a distinctly satisfied look on his face, writing something down in his notebook as he nodded to himself.

Mary Jane and Randy had both seen that look before, and it was a very good sign. They hugged each other briefly, exchanging hopeful glances, before they went back to sit down.

They passed by Felicia as they went up to their seats, and Mary Jane could see that now it was Felicia's turn to stare daggers coldly at her.

That meant it was Mary Jane's turn to smirk at Felicia, and she milked it for all it was worth.

* * *

Once all the auditions were done, Horace Green nodded in satisfaction as he stood up and headed for the exit. As the owner of the theatre Richard Banks was using to hold auditions and rehearsals, Horace would get free tickets to the show once it was running. Perhaps this time he might take Janelle…provided he didn't have to discipline her again. Fortunately, he hadn't had to throw her against the wall in quite a while-a few backhands were usually all it took to remind Janelle who the head of the household was.

It was while he was in the lobby that the loud crash occurred. The front doors of the theatre were torn right off their hinges and thrown outside, as what looked like giant, ghostly green serpents slithered in through the front door. People screamed and recoiled in terror as two bizarre women strode in through the gaping hole that was left by the doors.

One of the women was a large, husky blonde clad in green battle armor with snake-like patterns. Her arms were exceptionally long, twisting and coiling like the bodies of snakes. She was popularly known as Anaconda, and her cybernetic arms not only gave her the superhuman strength to tear the front doors right off the building, but also to entangle and crush victims in their powerful snakelike coils.

The other woman was a petite brunette, whose own armor had serpentine patterns similar to Anaconda's, only hers was a deeper shade of forest green. She carried herself with a light, easy step, which matched well with the ghostly phantom serpents that wrapped and coiled around her. Princess Python's psychic creations were just as strong and deadly as their real-life counterparts, their bites and crushing coils claiming more than one unlucky victim, and they were totally obedient to her will.

"Alright, who owns this joint?" yelled Anaconda, sweeping her arms all around her menacingly. "Ya'll oughta know the routine by now, so hop to it! Open up the safe, or ye're all…"

Horace didn't wait for Anaconda to finish, and he had no intention of giving the two serpentine villains the combination to his safe. Making sure the two snake women had their backs turned to him, he carefully opened a door at the back of the lobby and ran up the stairs to his private office, where he knew he could hide.

What he didn't notice was the middle-aged Hispanic woman following him up the stairs.

* * *

Mary Jane and Randy had been gathering up their things when they heard the screams and crashes, and immediately ran out to see what was happening. Mary Jane and Randy were horrified to see Princess Python and Anaconda threatening the people in the lobby, and they looked at one another instinctively. Randy briefly nodded to Mary Jane, confirming that she should do what she needed to, but their attention was immediately diverted by the dark figure of the superhero Darkhawk, who had caught the two villains completely by surprise and was now fighting them head-on.

The few remaining bystanders had already fled the lobby through the gaping hole in the front door, or were running for other parts of the theatre where they could hide. Mary Jane was going to join them in an attempt to find a place where she could change costume, but her attention was caught by the Hispanic woman who seemed to not be panicking at all, and was in fact skulking at the far end of the room. Mary Jane's experienced eyes noted how the woman seemed more calm and determined than anything, following the owner through a door marked PRIVATE that all the other bystanders had ignored in favor of exits that were easier to reach.

Her suspicions aroused, Mary Jane looked back at Darkhawk and found to her relief that the armored hero seemed to have things well in hand with Anaconda and Princess Python, despite being outnumbered. She suspected that the two criminals were in fact a distraction, and that the real target was the man who presumably owned the theatre.

Nodding once, she quickly set out to find a place where she could change costume.

* * *

Puffing heavily from his exertions running up the stairs, Horace finally made it to his office. He was turning to close the door when it was suddenly kicked. Horace couldn't react before the door smacked him in the face and sent him stumbling back to land flat on his back. Rising to a sitting position, he was surprised to see a Hispanic woman walking into the room, clearly the person who'd kicked the door in his face.

"Who the hell do you think you are, you stupid cow?" Horace snapped as he rose to his feet. "I ought to-" he said, raising his fist, before the image of the Hispanic woman disappeared in a flash. In its place was the much younger-looking Black Mamba, who only stared at him coldly.

"Wh…what the…" he mumbled in confusion. "Who are…"

"The name's Black Mamba," she said solemnly. "Bert sent me."

"**Bert?**" Horace demanded, referring to his brother-in-law, who'd always been too much of a coward to confront him directly over the way he disciplined his wife. "That cowardly prick sent you to do his dirty work? That's too bad, sweet…"

Horace's threat dissolved into a confused mumbling as Black Mamba's powers went to work. Before long, he was completely entranced, standing mutely with a blank look on his face.

A scowl crossed Black Mamba's face as she read Horace's disgusting thoughts, and saw what he enjoyed doing to women, particularly his wife. It reminded her of what some of her former johns had enjoyed doing to her during her time as a call girl. Taking a deep breath, she focused her powers and prepared to fulfill her first assignment as a member of the Society.

The months of training with Copperhead suddenly paid off as Black Mamba whirled around at the sound of the footsteps coming up behind her. Instinctively, she moved to put herself between the new arrival and Horace Green. If the new arrival attacked her, the attacker would hit Horace if Black Mamba dodged. For all that her instincts were still on high alert, Black Mamba's eyebrows raised in surprise at the sight of the intruder.

Black Mamba had heard of the spectacular Spider-Woman, but she'd never expected to meet the costumed heroine in person. Her long, silky black hair and bright red and gold costume were everything that Black Mamba had expected, but she was astonished to see just how young Spider-Woman was, even more so than Black Mamba herself. Spider-Woman, too, seemed somewhat surprised at Black Mamba's own youth.

"So who are you supposed to be?" Spider-Woman demanded. "The Snake-Charmer?"

"That's Black Mamba to you," Black Mamba replied. "And I suppose I should have known that I'd run into one of you hero-types sooner or later. I just never thought it would be on my first time out."

"It's also going to be your last," Spider-Woman assured her. She was unable to use her webbing or her sting blasts in the small office out of concern for hitting the man Black Mamba had clearly hypnotized. Instead, Spider-Woman immediately sprang forward, intending to catch Black Mamba off guard. To her surprise, Black Mamba struck back, and soon the two women were exchanging punches, kicks and blocks as they fought.

Spider-Woman was caught off guard at how well Black Mamba could fight, and that allowed Black Mamba to get the advantage for a bit, striking her in the face and again in the stomach. Spider-Woman immediately struck back, lashing out at Black Mamba, and her superhuman strength gave her a clear advantage as she struck Black Mamba in the gut.

Black Mamba nearly keeled over from Spider-Woman's punch, but Copperhead had taught her the virtues of moving so any blows she suffered were only glancing ones. Realizing that time was running out, she reached out with her powers and pierced into Spider-Woman's mind.

* * *

_Help me…_

Spider-Woman temporarily broke off her attack, hearing the voice inside her head. The voice sounded maddeningly familiar, although she couldn't place it-was it her mother, or her Aunt Anna? Shaking her head vigorously, Spider-Woman looked around for Black Mamba, and it seemed like she found her serpentine opponent, but-

…what was Randy doing there?

"Help me!" he pleaded, pointing back to the door. "They killed Darkhawk, and now they're going after the rest of us!"

"Randy?" Spider-Woman asked in spite of herself. "How did you get here?"

"MJ, please!" Randy insisted. "There's no time!"

"What do you mean, there's no time?" Spider-Woman asked in confusion. "How did you know to come up here?"

"Some superhero you are," Randy snapped, his voice taking on an accusing tone. "Are you going to let me down again, the way you did when you let Jack O' Lantern find out your true identity?"

"Wh…what?" Spider-Woman asked in horror. "How could you say that?" she demanded, her shock turning to anger.

"You know damn well how I can say it," Randy muttered, as he reached out and began to strangle Spider-Woman. "You're disgracing everything you ever believed in!"

Anger rose up in Spider-Woman as she struggled against Randy's strangulation and broke it off. He recoiled in surprise as Spider-Woman's head began to spin, trying to sort out her scrambling thoughts. She fell to her hands and knees, struggling to get a grip as she tried to remember what she had come into this upstairs office for.

* * *

Black Mamba broke off the telepathic contact and withdrew the dark energies she'd used to form the image of this 'Randy' person, whoever he was. To Black Mamba's surprise, Spider-Woman had been able to resist Black Mamba's telepathic intrusions, which had left most of her test subjects entirely defenseless. She then remembered what the Wizard, the criminal scientist who had given Black Mamba her powers, had told her about how people with a strong enough will could resist her intrusions and attempts to kill them with the images she'd formed of their loved ones. Clearly Spider-Woman was one of those people.

Black Mamba realized she didn't have much time. She wasn't sure what would happen to Princess Python or Anaconda as they fought Darkhawk, much less what would happen by the time the police arrived. The serpent saucer they'd used to get here was safely hidden, and she could get to it…but she had to act fast.

Turning back to Horace Green, who'd remained entranced all this time, Black Mamba reached out with her telepathy and entered his mind once more. Finding the images of the strippers he loved most in all the world, she formed them out of the Darkforce energy she could manipulate and had them slowly throttle him to death. Horace Green was a fundamentally weak-minded fool, and so the Darkforce girls had little difficulty in killing him.

For a moment, Black Mamba wondered whether she should try again to kill Spider-Woman. Then she realized how difficult it would probably be, and remembered Copperhead's warnings about not taking unnecessary risks.

She was gone in an instant, escaping down the back stairs, disguising herself with her image-inducing technology and taking off in the disguised serpent saucer. Although Black Mamba would later learn that Princess Python and Anaconda had been defeated by Darkhawk and left for the police, that hardly mattered, since the teleporting Sidewinder could free them from custody any time it suited him.

Her heart pounding from the experience, Black Mamba smiled to herself.

She'd had her first assignment as a paid assassin, and as the rest of the Serpent Society would tell her after she'd returned to base, she'd passed with flying colors.

* * *

It took Spider-Woman several minutes to sort out her whirling thoughts. Looking around in surprise, she found that Black Mamba was long gone, leaving behind the corpse of Horace Green in her wake. Coming back down the stairs, Spider-Woman told the police about Black Mamba and her failure to stop the serpentine killer, before returning to the place where she'd hidden her street clothes.

Walking home with Randy that afternoon, Mary Jane wasn't sure what to feel. She had almost certainly nailed the role of Desdemona in the play, but she'd failed to stop this Black Mamba character from killing her intended victim. Almost as bad was whatever Black Mamba had done to her-how did she manage to make Mary Jane see an illusion of Randy?

Worse yet, the memory of what that thing had said and done, which hit some particularly sore points with her. Being reminded of how she'd been careless enough to let Jack O' Lantern discover her true identity (although Mary Jane had never quite figured out how it was possible) was something Mary Jane deeply regretted, all the more so after Randy had found out and chewed her out for it. Although Randy had been making an effort to understand, and she loved him all the more for trying, she could still see the look of anger in his eyes on occasion whenever they discussed her superhero identity.

Try as she might, she couldn't get it out of her head, almost as if it refused to leave. Now, when she thought of Randy himself, she couldn't help but flinch, as the memories of what Black Mamba's illusion had said to her stuck in her mind.

Rationally, she knew it was all an illusion and that it didn't show Randy's true feelings.

Emotionally, though, she had a hard time convincing herself of that.

(_**Next Issue:**_ Mary Jane continues to seek out more acting work, this time taking up Desiree Vaughn-Pope's offer for more modelling work. At the same time, she also gets an unconventional job as a cosplay model at the New York Comic Con. Unfortunately, she gets much more than she bargained for when the video game villain Netshape crashes the proceedings, eager to make his name as a dangerous supervillain! All this and more in _Spider-Woman #52: Game Over!_)


End file.
